PRIME MINISTER

Internet

Nick Hurd: To ask the Prime Minister for what reasons the comment facility on his video on Parliamentary expenses reform posted to the Downing Street YouTube portal is not enabled.

Gordon Brown: It is not possible to post comments on any Downing street YouTube video. My Office does however receive and respond to many other comments each year through e-mails, letters, ePetitions, webchats and Twitter.

Libya

William Hague: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will place in the Library a copy of each item of his correspondence with Colonel Gaddafi of Libya in which Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi is mentioned;
	(2)  whether he discussed  (a) commercial contracts for oil and gas and  (b) Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi during his meeting with Colonel Gaddafi of Libya at the G8 summit in July 2009; and if he will place in the Library the record of the meeting.

Gordon Brown: A copy of my letter to Colonel Gaddafi of 20 August has been placed in the Libraries of the House. During my meeting with Colonel Gaddafi in July I did not discuss oil and gas contracts. I did raise the need for a more effective global dialogue between energy producing and consuming countries.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Members: Allowances

Eric Pickles: To ask the Leader of the House whether she plans to publish claims made under the additional cost allowance for 2004-05 by those who are no longer hon. Members; and if she will make it her policy to publish claims made by former hon. Members who are also prospective parliamentary candidates under the additional cost allowance during their period of service in the House.

Harriet Harman: The publication of information relating to hon. Members' claims for additional costs allowance is a matter for the House of Commons Commission.

TRANSPORT

A14

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment the Highways Agency made of the effect on entry to and exit from the A14 for industrial units in Burton Latimer of the imposition of a Grampian condition on the sustainable urban extension to the east of Kettering; and what recent estimate the Highways Agency has made of daily traffic volumes on the A14 between junctions  (a) 7 and 9 and  (b) 9 and 10.

Chris Mole: In response to the Kettering East Planning Application, the Highways Agency has reviewed all the information provided by the developer in order to determine the impact of the proposals on the performance of the A14. This has included a review of the developer's proposals for access and egress onto/off the A14. This consists of replacing existing junction 10 with an enlarged junction, approximately 1 kilometre to the east of its current location.
	The Agency's review of these proposals did not include an assessment of the implications of the junction improvements on the wider community including the industrial units at Burton Latimer, as this was not necessary at this stage. However, it is envisaged that the developer will carry this out as part of the statutory processes required for implementation of the access arrangements. These processes will also provide an opportunity for all parties, including the Highways Agency, to comment on the details of the proposals.
	While the conditions the Agency has directed specifically relate to the access arrangements proposed to date, it is prepared to consider any other options put forward including the possibility of improving the junction in its current location. It should be noted, however, that the Agency would not accept an additional access onto the A14 in accordance with policy (Department for Transport Circular 02/2007) in particular safety and efficiency.
	The Highways Agency's recent estimates of daily traffic volumes between junctions on the A14 are as follows:
	
		
			  Direction  Junctions  AADT( 1) 
			 Eastbound 7-8 35,717 
			  8-9 32,421 
			  9-10 28,105 
			
			 Westbound 7-8 35,619 
			  8-9 33,742 
			  9-10 28,263 
			 (1) AADT-Annual Average Daily Traffic, based on rolling year between June 2008 and May 2009.

Air Travel Organiser's Licensing Protection Contribution

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  what the level of the Air Travel Organiser's Licensing Protection contribution will be once the Air Travel Trust Fund deficit has been eliminated;
	(2)  by what date he expects the deficit in Air Travel Trust Fund to be eliminated; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: In his written statement of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 82-83WS announcing an increase to the ATOL Protection Contribution (APC), the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport, my hon. Friend the Member for Gillingham (Paul Clark) explained that
	"The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) intend to review the rate of the APC before the Air Travel Trust fund (ATTF) moves into surplus, projected to be by the spring of 2012."
	A summary of responses to the CAA's consultation on increasing the APC and a copy of the CAA's advice to the Secretary of State are available in the House Library.

Aviation: Passengers

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on air passenger numbers at  (a) Heathrow Airport and  (b) regional airports of the introduction of high-speed train services between London and the North.

Chris Mole: High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd. has been formed to help develop the case for high speed services between London and Scotland, and will report to Government by the end of the year. As part of its work HS2 will be assessing passenger demand for high speed rail services, including the likely number of passengers attracted from aviation. We are, however, satisfied that the case for new runway capacity at Heathrow remains strong, given projections of future demand for long-haul air traffic which cannot readily be served by rail.

Blue Badge Scheme

Graham Brady: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make it his policy to extend the Blue Badge scheme for disabled parking to people suffering from colitis, Crohn's disease and similar conditions.

Chris Mole: In October 2008 the Department for Transport published the Comprehensive Blue Badge (Disabled Parking) Reform Strategy which outlined a number of changes to the scheme, including our intention to extend eligibility to certain groups of people whose level of disability imposes severe limitations on their personal mobility and safety. Whilst colitis, Crohn's disease and similar conditions were considered for eligibility during the development of the Reform Strategy, it was decided that the Blue Badge scheme would not be extended to people affected by these conditions and there are no plans to alter this.

British Railways Board Residuary: Manpower

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how many people have been employed by the British Railways Board Residuary in each year since 1997; and what the  (a) income and  (b) expenditure of that body has been in each such year.

Chris Mole: British Railways Board Residuary (BRBR) Ltd was formed in February 2001. The income, expenditure and headcount information for the period since BRBR's creation is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Income  Operating expenditure  Employees (FTE)( 1) 
			 2001-02 51.5 (35.0) 52 
			 2002-03 154.2 (157.1) 44 
			 2003-04 79.4 (56.3) 32 
			 2004-05 82.5 (77.4) 25 
			 2005-06 75.6 (53.7) 24 
			 2006-07 91.8 (31.2) 27 
			 2007-08 93.7 (41.7) 32 
			 2008-09 96.0 (85.3) 32 
			 (1) Full time equivalent

Crossrail: Expenditure

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much his Department has spent on preparation for Crossrail; and what estimate he has made of  (a) the likely expenditure by (a) June 2010 and  (b) any required expenditure after June 2010 in the event that the project is cancelled.

Chris Mole: Expenditure on preparation for Crossrail prior to the signature of the core agreements for the scheme in December 2008 was £175 million. This figure includes the costs incurred by Crossrail Ltd in support of the Crossrail Act 2008 and related agreements, and the Department for Transport's financial, legal and technical consultancy fees in support of the parliamentary process and agreements.
	By June 2010 it is estimated that expenditure by Crossrail Ltd in support of the delivery of the project will have reached £1,550 million. This includes the costs of land and property expenditure and the costs of consultancy services procured by the Department to support the programme.
	There are no precise estimates as to how much expenditure would be required if the project were to be cancelled; this is contingent on a number of different factors, including contractual commitments and potential income from land no longer required.
	Crossrail Ltd is jointly funded by the Department and Transport for London.

Driving Offences

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what plans he has to provide for the police to issue on-the-spot fines to motorists for  (a) careless driving and  (b) other road traffic offences for which offenders are prosecuted.

Chris Mole: The Road Safety Compliance Consultation, published in November 2008 sought views on proposals for measures to improve compliance levels with key road safety laws. This included a proposal to allow for fixed penalties for certain categories of careless driving. The consultation ended on 27 February 2009 and all responses are being carefully considered.
	The Department for Transport will announce its response to the consultation and the measures it intends to take forward, including on careless driving, alongside the new Road Safety Strategy later this year.
	Both VOSA and the police already have the ability to issue on-the-spot fines for certain road traffic offences.

Driving Under Influence

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the merits of reducing the drink-drive limit from its current levels.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport's Road Safety Compliance consultation document explains that we are keeping the present limit under review and have work in hand to improve available evidence needed to assess the potential road safety effect of a lower limit. We have also said that we intend to review the new evidence in the course of finalising the Government's Road Safety Strategy beyond 2010, to be published later this year.

Heathrow Airport

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport whether his Department has revised its net present value estimate for a new runway and terminal at Heathrow airport to take account of the new methodology for carbon pricing in appraisals provided by the Department for Energy and Climate Change.

Chris Mole: The assessment of the economic case presented in Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport Impact Assessment followed the guidance on the shadow price of carbon, issued by DEFRA following the Stern Review. In developing the Impact Assessment, the Department for Transport considered the potential impact of significantly higher values and concluded that the economic case remained robust.
	However, no revised net present value estimate for a new runway and terminal at Heathrow airport that takes account of the new carbon values published in July 2009 by the Department for Energy and Climate Change is available.
	Preliminary work since the January Heathrow decision indicates that the economic case for Heathrow's third runway is robust to the new carbon values.
	The Department for Transport currently expects to publish the next generation of air passenger demand forecasts in 2010.

Highways Agency: Ragwort

Greg Knight: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what steps the Highways Agency is taking to remove ragwort from  (a) the roadside and  (b) other land for which the Highways Agency is responsible.

Chris Mole: Ragwort is a difficult plant to control and requires a long-term and systematic approach as the seeds can remain dormant in the ground for over 20 years.
	The Highways Agency dedicates significant resources to its control each year. It is not possible to eradicate ragwort entirely because plants can spread from adjoining land. The Agency's service providers are required to follow the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs code of practice as well as Agency specific guidance, to control ragwort at the roadside and on other Agency owned land. Control measures, which include the use of herbicides, are particularly targeted at locations where livestock is most at risk.
	Year round monitoring is undertaken to identify the location of ragwort plants, so that control measures can be used when most effective, and not just during the flowering season. Adjacent landowners are informed where ragwort is present, to encourage them to introduce their own measures of control.

Invalid Vehicles: Insurance

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will bring forward legislation to require users of mobility scooters to hold mobility scooter insurance; what training users of mobility scooters are required to undergo; what recent estimate he has made of the number of persons injured by mobility scooters annually; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: We currently have no plans to introduce legislation requiring users of mobility scooters to hold insurance. They are nevertheless subject to the law of civil liability. We do strongly recommend that mobility scooter users take out insurance and that they avail themselves of the advice and training that is available in a number of locations such as Shopmobility venues (a charity organisation which hires out mobility scooters). No recent estimate of the number of injuries caused by mobility scooters has been undertaken but anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of accidents are minor in nature.
	We are aware that the number of mobility scooters is on the increase. The Department for Transport is procuring a survey to help assess the number of mobility scooter users and the extent to which their use may have injured people. We anticipate that this will help to inform future policy.

Kegworth Bypass

David Taylor: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what recent progress has been made on the Kegworth bypass project; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mole: The Kegworth bypass has been proposed alongside improvements to the M1 between junctions 23a and 25. The Department for Transport publication 'Britain's Transport Infrastructure-Motorways and Major Trunk Roads', published in January 2009, provides details of the major road improvements which we expect to take forward in the period up to 2015 and the longer term motorway improvements which we expect to be rolled out after 2015.
	The scheme to improve the M1 between junctions 23a and 25 falls into the category of schemes expected to be delivered after 2015. The timetable for these schemes will be considered as part of the DaSTS (Delivering a Sustainable Transport System) process, under which we will be defining our longer term investment priorities. This process is described in the Department's November 2008 document 'Delivering a Sustainable Transport System'.

Lorries: Accidents

John Stanley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport in how many accidents resulting in serious injury foreign-registered left-hand drive heavy goods vehicles were involved in 2008.

Chris Mole: In 2008, there were 25 fatal and 69 reported road accidents resulting in a serious injury, where at least one foreign-registered left-hand drive heavy goods vehicle was involved.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency: HM Coastguard

Julian Brazier: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport with reference to page 81 of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Annual Report 2007-08, HC 617, what the average response time of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency/HM Coastguard was to maritime incidents where assistance was given in each year from 2002 to 2008.

Chris Mole: Information is not collected in the form requested.
	Between 2001-02 and 2006-07 the percentage of incidents where the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) decided on a search and rescue response within five minutes of being alerted is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 2001-02 99 
			 2002-03 99 
			 2003-04 99 
			 2004-05 98 
			 2005-06 97 
			 2006-07 99 
		
	
	In each of these years the MCA met its published ministerial target on this area of work.
	Figures for 2007-08 and 2008-09 were not recorded due to industrial action short of a strike by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union.
	However, through a programme of local management checks and audits, the agency is confident that the quality of its emergency response co-ordination service was fully maintained despite the absence of statistical data.

Railways: Overcrowding

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport if he will make it his policy to collect passenger overcrowding data from train operators running services from stations in  (a) Birmingham,  (b) Manchester,  (c) Cardiff,  (d) Sheffield,  (e) Bristol,  (f) Liverpool and  (g) Leeds.

Chris Mole: As outlined within their respective franchise agreements, train operating companies are required to provide passenger count data on request to the Secretary of State for Transport. The Department for Transport currently collects passenger counts data for most rail services running into these regional stations.
	The specific arrangements for each operator can be viewed on the Department's website at the following address:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/passenger/publicregister/current/

Roads: Cycling

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport when he plans to publish his Department's  (a) interim and  (b) final report on road safety and cycling.

Chris Mole: The Department for Transport is working with the contractors, Transport Research Laboratory, to ensure the road safety and cycling project remains on schedule. The Department intends to publish two research reports this autumn 2009, including one on cycle helmets, with the publication of the project's final reports in autumn 2010.

Sustainable Distribution Fund

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport how much has been  (a) made available to and  (b) subsequently allocated to rail freight interchange projects through the Sustainable Distribution Fund in each year since its inception.

Chris Mole: The multi-modal Sustainable Distribution Fund (SDF) took effect from 1 April 2007. Although there have been a number of rail capital projects funded through SDF, the Department for Transport has not funded any rail freight interchange projects.
	Freight Facilities Grants (FFGs) can help to fund the difference in cost between rail/water and road freight, but only where the environmental benefits can justify the support, there is a genuine financial need for grant and the provision of grant would not distort competition.
	Competition in the rail freight intermodal business has been increasing with a number of terminal and freight hauliers now active in the market. As a result, in January 2008 the Department announced that it would no longer provide FFG funding for investment in intermodal terminals in the North West of England (Manchester, Liverpool and Widnes conurbations).

Traffic Penalty Tribunal

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport 
	(1)  how many parking cases the Traffic Penalty Tribunal adjudicated by  (a) post,  (b) email and  (c) in person in the most recent year for which figures are available;
	(2)  how much on average it cost the Traffic Penalty Tribunal to adjudicate on a parking case  (a) by post,  (b) by email and  (c) in person in 2008-09;
	(3)  what funding the Traffic Penalty Tribunal received from each of its funding streams in 2008-09.

Chris Mole: This information is not collected centrally by the Government. Details of the Traffic Penalty Tribunal's activities are recorded in its annual report which is available on its website,
	www.trafficpenaltytribunal.gov.uk

Transport: Finance

Justine Greening: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the £700 million in capital funding for transport, brought forward from 2010-11 to 2009-10 and 2008-09 on  (a) motorway capacity,  (b) numbers of new carriages on the rail network,  (c) congestion relief and  (d) railway overcrowding; and how much of the funding has been spent in each month since it was announced.

Paul Clark: £300 million is budgeted for advancing work on the national road network; for enabling works in advance of the Managed Motorway (hard shoulder running) schemes announced in January, and on advancing planned capital maintenance, e.g. safety improvements to the central reserve on the M1 between J32-35a. The planned roads programme adds 520 additional lane miles including 340 lane miles of hard shoulder running.
	As well as the work on the national network, £100 million is budgeted to relieve congestion on the regional A46 Newark to Widmerpool scheme, by advancing construction (dualling) by two years. This is an important freight route and will support the Newark growth point.
	£300 million was budgeted to advance the purchase of additional diesel railway carriages, scheduled as part of the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) agreement for increasing capacity and relieving overcrowding on the rail network (HLOS agreement from 2009 to 2014) that was set out in the July 2007 Rail White Paper. However, the £1.1 billion electrification of the Great Western Main Line to Swansea and the line between Liverpool and Manchester announced on 23 July 2009, means that there will be far less need for diesel trains and so the previously planned procurement has been superseded. A revised rolling stock strategy, taking into account the reduced need for diesel trains will be published in due course.
	
		
			  Monthly expenditure (£ million) 
			   April  May  June  Total  Q1  Budget  Q1 
			 A46 2.4 3.3 2.1 7.8 16.4 
			 National schemes 9.4 14.8 19.2 43.4 44.1 
			 Total HA 11.9 18.0 21.3 51.3 60.5 
			  Note:  Table totals subject to roundings. 
		
	
	Spending on national highway schemes is very close to budgeted expenditure at this point (98 per cent.). Delays on concluding negotiations for access have led to slower spend on the A46.
	Furthermore, as announced in Building Britain's Future in June, the Department for Transport is contributing £350 million from the 2009-10 capital budget to the Government's housing fiscal stimulus initiative to deliver 20,000 additional energy efficient, affordable homes.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent meetings officials of his Department have had with officials of  (a) HM Embassy Kinshasa and  (b) officials of the Democratic Republic of Congo government at Kin Maziere officials.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 21 July 2009
	 The UK Border Agency commissioned the British embassy in Kinshasa to investigate allegations that appeared in  The Guardian newspaper on 28 May and this included visiting officials from Kin Maziere. The investigation found no evidence to substantiate the allegations of mistreatment, and found that the documentation in possession of  The Guardian was not credible.

Drugs: Convictions

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been convicted of  (a) possession of and  (b) supplying Class (i) A, (ii) B and (iii) C drugs in each year since 1997; and how many such people received (A) a custodial sentence and (B) the maximum sentence for those offences.

Claire Ward: I have been asked to reply.
	The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for the possession and supply of class A, B and C drugs, those sentenced to a custodial sentence and those receiving the maximum sentence, in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	The statistics given relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. For example, when a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn 2009.
	
		
			  The number of defendants found guilty at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody for possession and supply of class A, B and C drugs in England and Wales, 1997 to 2007( 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) 
			   1997  1998  1999 
			   Sentenced to:  Sentenced to:  Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class A 6,485 548 1 8,167 816 0 9,720 966 1 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class A 1,953 1,526 0 1,858 1,424 0 2,009 1,615 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class A 1,679 1,337 0 1,776 1,383 0 2,089 1,705 1 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class B(5) 0,911 395 1 27359 624 1 26,687 634 1 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class B(5) 3,344 1,562 0 3,616 1,761 0 2,967 1,441 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class B(5) 1,857 860 1 1,955 908 0 1,517 754 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class C(6) 145 13 0 187 12 0 159 9 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class C(6) 57 20 0 51 17 0 41 20 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : class C(6) 53 14 0 46 19 0 53 17 0 
		
	
	
		
			   2000  2001  2002 
			   Sentenced to:  Sentenced to:  Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class A 10,439 1,000 2 11,548 1,109 0 11,417 988 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class A 2,344 1,827 0 2,750 2,133 0 2,741 2,068 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class A 2,184 1,804 0 2,408 1,898 0 2,512 1996 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class B(5) 23,211 460 0 22,960 372 1 26,139 316 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class B(5) 2,210 1,003 0 1,579 736 0 1,617 647 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class B(5) 1,113 559 0 736 324 0 729 332 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class C(6) 117 6 0 371 11 0 533 16 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class C(6) 27 13 1 25 14 0 38 14 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : class C(6) 29 13 0 32 17 0 23 7 2 
		
	
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005 
			   Sentenced to:  Sentenced to:  Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class A 10,985 907 3 10,738 788 3 10,729 796 4 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class A 2.991 2,248 0 3,032 2,317 1 3,189 2,333 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class A 2,688 2,157 0 2,789 2,234 0 2,786 1,870 1 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class B 28,093 370 1 8,658 174 0 4,362 122 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class B 1,735 599 0 1,220 522 0 497 215 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class B 659 299 0 418 201 0 225 116 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class C(6) 515 7 0 8,304 82 0 12,170 140 6 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class C(6) 38 15 1 578 133 0 1,332 416 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : class C(6) 35 4 0 254 53 2 474 163 0 
			   
		
	
	
		
			   2006  2007 
			   Sentenced to:  Sentenced to: 
			   Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence  Found guilty  Immediate custody  Maximum sentence 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class A 11,469 796 8 13,389 903 3 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class A 3,105 2,250 0 3,500 2,469 2 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class A 2,616 1,796 0 2,633 1,810 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class B 3,836 112 0 3,234 127 2 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class B 402 154 0 308 139 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in): class B 166 78 0 84 26 0 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug: class C(6) 12,688 175 3 15,066 197 5 
			 Having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply: class C(6) 1,475 493 0 1,645 520 0 
			 Supplying or offering to supply a controlled drug, (or being concerned in) : class C(6) 573 186 0 568 166 0 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Staffordshire Police Force were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates courts for the year 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data, these data are not robust enough at a detailed level and have been excluded from the table. (4) Cannabis was reclassified in January 2004 to a class C drug, Guidelines advised that offenders over the age of 18 could be given, for possession only, a "cannabis warning" which does not constitute a criminal record. (5) Cannabis was re-classified to a class C drug in January 2004. From 1997-2004 the class B category includes cannabis, from 2005-2007 cannabis is included in class C. (6) From January 2004 the statutory maximum penalty for Possession with intent to intent to supply and supplying a class C drug was increased from five to 14 years. Those sentenced in 2004 were all assumed to be eligible for the five year maximum those sentenced from 2005 onwards are assumed to be eligible for the 14 year maximum although as the date of offence is not known this may not be true of all cases.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Evidence and Analysis unit (OCJR-E and A).

Entry Clearances

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many residence applications from EEA nationals are awaiting assessment.

Phil Woolas: As of 15 July there were 71,428 EEA residence applications of all categories awaiting assessment.

Entry Clearances

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many outstanding residence applications from EEA nationals have exceeded the six month time limit set out in the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006.

Phil Woolas: As of 15 July there were 27,120 EEA residence applications that have been outstanding for more than six months. This does not include applications made by EEA nationals for registration certificates, which are not subject to the same time scales.

Foreigners: Crime

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) murders,  (b) attempted murders,  (c) rapes,  (d) other offences of violence against the person and  (e) other offences were committed by foreign nationals who had served at least one custodial sentence in the UK in each of the last 12 years for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
	The requested information is not available. The recording by the police on the Police National Computer of the nationality of offenders in England and Wales is optional as there is no legislative obligation on individuals to provide this information. For this reason reliable statistics on the nationality of offenders cannot be compiled.

Overseas Students: Entry Clearances

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long on average elapsed between the receipt by the Charging Unit of an application for a student visa extension and the receipt by the applicant of an IDFN form between January and June  (a) 2008 and  (b) 2009; and in what proportion of cases the time elapsed was more than three months in each period.

Phil Woolas: holding answer 20 July 2009
	The information is not available in the precise format requested. Available information is as follows:
	
		
			   Average time (days) taken to deal with an in country application for leave to remain as a student (a)  Percentage of cases where turnaround time was more than 90 days (b) 
			 1 January-30 June 2008 (1)29 (1)2 
			 1 January- 30 June 2009 (2)63 (2)7 
			 (1) 1,288 applications (2 )4,056 applications  Note: All figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. 
		
	
	 Time taken to deal with in country applications for leave to remain as a student
	All figures quoted are not provided under national statistics protocols and have been derived from local management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change.
	The figures in column (a) are calculated from the date of receipt by the Charging Unit to the date of despatch of the decision.
	A requirement that applicants applying in country for leave to remain as a student must have an identity card was introduced on 25 November 2008. The target time for issue of a card is three working days. This time begins on the date the request to issue the card is received.

Passports

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the unit cost of printing a  (a) new and  (b) replacement British passport was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Phil Woolas: The unit cost of printing a new and replacement British passport is the same. Due to commercial sensitivities it is not possible to disclose the exact printing charges.

Prisoners: Deportation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign national prisoners the Government sought to deport when they left prison but were unable to because they were nationals of other EU member states in the last five years.

Phil Woolas: The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to Home Affairs Select Committee in order to provide them with all the robust and accurate information available relating to foreign national criminals. Copies of these letters are available in the Library of the House.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Subsidies

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers are awaiting single payments; and what estimate his Department has made of the total monetary value of outstanding single payments.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table gives the number and estimated value of outstanding payments under the Single Payment Scheme for those yet to receive any payment. It includes claims which may eventually prove to be invalid for payment, often because of probate issues or invalid bank details.
	
		
			  £ 
			  Single payment scheme year  Number of claims outstanding as at 3 September 2009  Estimated value of outstanding claims 
			 2005 3 10,000 
			 2006 9 18,000 
			 2007 48 444,000 
			 2008 211 2,424,000 
			 Total 271 2,896,000

Air Pollution: Prosecutions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many organisations have been  (a) prosecuted,  (b) fined and  (c) convicted under environmental legislation for air pollution offences in each year since 2005; what the total cost was of fines imposed for such offences; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The following table has been produced by the Environment Agency's National Enforcement Database and shows the number of organisations that have been  (a) prosecuted,  (b) fined and  (c) convicted for air pollution category 1-3 incidents(1) since 2005, and the total cost of fines imposed for such offences.
	
		
			   Prosecuted  Convicted  Fined  Total of fines (£) 
			 2005 42 42 41 418,650 
			 2006 62 59 57 475,240 
			 2007 37 34 32 561,796 
			 2008 44 40 38 339,200 
			 2009(2) 23 22 21 509,850 
			 Total 208 197 189 2,304,736 
			 (1) Category 1-major, persistent, extensive or serious impact or damage to the environment (air, land and/or water), people and/or property. Category 2-significant impact or effect on the environment, people and/or property. Category 3-minor or minimal impact or effect on the environment, people and/or property. (2) To 12 August 2009

Circuses: Animal Welfare

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the Chairman of the Circus Working Group to provide a further report on wild animals in travelling circuses.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Circus Working Group reported its findings in 2007. A feasibility study is currently under way looking at the possibility of regulating wild animal acts in circuses. The feasibility study is still in progress but we are expecting it to be finalised by the end of the year.

Circuses: Animal Welfare

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions the Circus Working Group has had about the welfare of elephants in circuses in the last 12 months.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Circus Working Group reported its findings in 2007. A feasibility study has been under way since last year and is expected to be finalised by the end of this year. The use of elephants in circuses will be considered as part of this study.

Dairy Farming

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of farmers who have left in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007,  (c) 2008 and  (d) 2009 to date.

Huw Irranca-Davies: DEFRA does not collect figures on the number of farmers who leave the dairy sector each year. Figures from the June Survey of Agriculture only indicate activity on registered holdings in England at June each year and therefore show net change only.
	The number of farmers on holdings where dairy is the predominant activity (as indicated from Cattle Tracing System data) are shown in the table below for 2006-08. Figures for 2009 are not yet available.
	
		
			Number of farmers on dairy type holdings  Number of dairy holdings( 1) 
			  (a) 2006 22,483 11,079 
			  (b) 2007 21,082 10,649 
			  (c) 2008 20,122 10,112 
			 (1) Based on predominant farming activity.  Note: Farmers includes full- and part-time farmers, partners, directors and spouses if working on the holding.  Sources: June Survey of Agriculture Cattle Tracing System

Dairy Farming: Government Assistance

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assistance his Department is providing to the dairy farm industry in response to the reduction in the wholesale price of milk in 2009.

Huw Irranca-Davies: We believe that the market must determine prices. The setting of milk prices is a commercial matter to be resolved by private negotiation which should take place within the parameters set by competition law.
	Through the Dairy Supply Chain Forum, we are working with industry to highlight challenges currently facing the sector. To this end, DEFRA will be chairing a new Horizon Scanning working group where we will work in collaboration with industry to address these challenges.

Dogs: Tagging

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will bring forward proposals for  (a) the compulsory microchipping of dogs and  (b) the establishment of a central database of dog owners in the United Kingdom; what recent representations he has received on the issue; what discussions he has had with stakeholders on the issue since July 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Dog Identification Group (DIG) recommended in its 2000 report that a voluntary scheme for the permanent identification of dogs be introduced. Since the DIG report, there has been an increase in voluntary dog registration. At the forefront of this is Petlog which is the largest pet reunification service in the UK. It manages a database of over 3,500,000 records. This is on hand 24 hours a day to authorised bodies such as animal wardens or animal welfare centres, who can scan the chips in found animals and trace their owners via the Petlog database. Today up to 40-50 per cent. of dogs are registered on the Petlog system.
	We have no plans to make microchipping compulsory. We have received around 20 letters so far in 2009 on the subject of microchipping, and microchipping was discussed with representatives of the Dogs Trust in July this year.

Fishing Vessels: Decommissioning

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to introduce a fishing vessel decommissioning scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There are currently no plans to introduce a fishing vessel decommissioning scheme.

Gangmasters

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to protect the employment rights of vulnerable workers employed through gangmasters.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Government set up the Gangmasters Licensing Authority in 2005 to safeguard the welfare and rights of vulnerable workers employed in the agriculture, food processing and shellfish sectors, where gangmasters traditionally operate. The Gangmasters Licensing Act introduced compulsory licensing for anyone who supplies workers to do work in these sectors, and makes it an offence to operate as an unlicensed gangmaster or knowingly to enter into an arrangement with an unlicensed gangmaster. In order to obtain a gangmasters licence, a gangmaster must be considered to act in a fit and proper manner and must meet strict conditions, such as meeting correct payments for minimum wage, tax, national insurance, and health and safety requirements.
	Following the recommendations of the Vulnerable Worker Forum in 2008, the Government have also put together a package of key measures to protect all vulnerable workers, including those employed by gangmasters. These measures include:
	A sustained, three year, Government-led campaign to raise vulnerable workers' awareness of basic employment rights and encourage the reporting of workplace abuses.
	The establishment of the new Pay and Work Rights line, through which vulnerable workers (and employers) will be able to report abuses and access information and advice about the rights enforced by Government.
	The establishment of a Fair Employment Enforcement Board bringing together enforcement bodies and external stakeholders to drive forward improvements in support for vulnerable workers.

Gangmasters

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to extend the remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority; and if the Minister will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The extension of gangmaster licensing to other sectors of the economy was considered by the Vulnerable Worker Enforcement Forum in 2008. However, the Government concluded that the way forward was to prioritise effective enforcement of the existing law, not to introduce new regulation. We are doing this through a campaign to raise workers' awareness of employment rights, including the establishment of the new Pay and Work Rights Helpline, which provides workers with a single point of contact covering five different enforcement agencies, and by strengthening the Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate which regulates agencies in sectors not covered by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.

Gangmasters

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to remove unlicensed gangmasters.

Huw Irranca-Davies: Under the Gangmasters Licensing Act it is an offence to operate as an unlicensed gangmaster, which, upon conviction, can result in punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment, a fine or both. The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) is responsible for enforcing the Act on behalf of Government, and now that it has moved on from its initial set up phase, the GLA is concentrating its resources on tackling those who operate outside the law. Operation Ajax was launched by the GLA in May 2008. This is a UK wide initiative to stamp out worker abuse by labour providers operating in the GLA sectors. Operation Ajax provides the brand under which the GLA undertakes individual enforcement and compliance operations against illegal and non-compliant labour providers. This type of approach is already used by other enforcement agencies to tackle criminality.

Gangmasters

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of the recession on the number of unlicensed gangmasters.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There has not been any specific assessment of the impact of the recession on the number of unlicensed gangmasters, but the Government recognise that difficult trading conditions might tempt employers to cut corners by operating without a licence, or otherwise maximise profits at the expense of their work force. With this in mind, the Government have recently reviewed the funding available to the GLA and have agreed additional amounts for this year and next, specifically to cover enforcement and operational activities. This will enable the GLA to recruit additional enforcement officers to target the areas where vulnerable workers are most at risk from unlicensed labour providers.

Gangmasters

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many gangmasters have been prosecuted by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority since its establishment.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA) has carried out three successful prosecutions all for operating as a gangmaster without a licence. In May 2008, a labour provider from Perth in Scotland was sentenced to 18 months probation and 140 hours community service. In May 2009, an Edinburgh recruitment firm was given a fine of £200(1). On 1 September 2009, a Gangmaster based in the Morecambe Bay area, operating in shellfish gathering, was ordered to pay a fine of £600 and costs of £4,000.
	There are a further four cases pending that have entered the court system:
	one in relation to operating as an unlicensed gangmaster;
	two in relation to using the services of an unlicensed gangmaster; and
	one in relation to obstruction of GLA officers.
	(1) Figures provided by the GLA

Geomatics Group

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what contracts the Environment Agency's Geomatics Group has with local authorities.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Geomatics Group undertakes commercial contracts for a range of external clients including local authorities. The names of contracting organisations are commercially confidential.

Geomatics Group

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Environment Agency's Geomatics Group's public task is.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Geomatics Group is a specialist business unit within the Environment Agency that supplies high quality, geospatial data and customised services to the Environment Agency, Government agencies, non-governmental organisations and the commercial market.
	Its range of products can be used in a wide variety of geospatial applications including:
	Environmental management (flood risk modelling, coastal erosion, risk assessment, vegetation monitoring);
	Local planning applications;
	Risk and crisis management (emergency flood response);
	Infrastructure site selection (wind farm, utilities);
	Archaeology and national heritage;
	Thermal heat loss surveying;
	Urban visualisation;
	Reservoir assessment;
	Forestry and farming.
	The group is reinforcing the work the Environment Agency is currently undertaking to identify and evaluate areas at risk from flooding across England and Wales. By identifying drainage patterns and water flow, it will help predict which areas and structures are most at risk from flooding in different weather conditions.

Geomatics Group

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many staff are employed in the Environment Agency's Geomatics Group.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Geomatics Group within the Environment Agency employs a total of 40 staff.

Geomatics Group

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the  (a) turnover and  (b) profit of the Environment Agency's Geomatics Group in 2009-2010.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The expected total turnover of the Geomatics Group for 2009-10 is £4,482,000. This includes work undertaken for the Environment Agency.
	Geomatics Group makes no profit from work undertaken for the Environment Agency and the level of profit on work undertaken for external customers is commercially confidential.

River Thames: Pollution

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the level of risk to the health and safety of swimmers and boaters from the discharge of sewage into the Thames in the area of Mogden, Isleworth on 3 July 2009.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The Environment Agency manages the chemical environmental quality of the upper Thames estuary; there are no stipulated microbiological standards that are applied in the upper reaches.
	Water quality assessment is based on the level of dissolved oxygen in the river which is important for protecting fish in the estuary.
	Matters relating to public health are directed to the London Port Health Authority which provides advice and guidance on river usage involving public contact with water.
	As part of the Environment Agency's protocol for managing pollution incidents on the Thames estuary, the London Port Health Authority is routinely informed of significant sewage-related incidents. This is to ensure that any necessary precautionary information can be made available to the public and this was the case in this incident.
	There are no designated bathing waters that would have been affected by the discharges from the locations in west London.

Shellfish: Colchester

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects a decision to be made on the application of protected geographic indicator status to the Colchester oyster; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: The application to register the Colchester Native Oyster, first received in 2005, had a number of objections received during the consultation process.
	Officials subsequently met with representatives of the applicant group in May 2007 to discuss the objections and outstanding points relating to the product specification for the application. Further information relating to the geographical area and other aspects of the application was sought from the applicant group which, despite numerous and regular reminders from officials, has not been forthcoming.
	As a result, it has not been possible to complete our assessment of the validity of the application for protected geographical indication status for the Colchester Native Oyster. Although the scheme is a voluntary one, we will continue to pursue this with the applicant group.

Water Charges

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take to assist voluntary groups, churches and charities affected by introduction of charges for surface water drainage.

Huw Irranca-Davies: I attended the meeting of the All Party Scout Group on 15 July and promised the cubs and scouts that this issue will be resolved. We are currently waiting to see revised proposals from United Utilities on what it is proposing for 2010-11 and beyond. I expect companies and the regulator to settle this in a way that is fair and reasonable and reflects Government guidance to Ofwat.

Weedkillers

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with  (a) representatives of Dow AgroScience Ltd. and  (b) the Chemical Regulations Directorate on the relicensing of the herbicide aminopyralid; and if he will make a statement.

Huw Irranca-Davies: There have been no discussions with Dow Agrosciences Ltd. on this matter that have involved DEFRA Ministers. We have frequent discussions with the HSE's Chemicals Regulation Directorate, which is the part of central Government responsible for the regulation of pesticides, detergents, chemicals, on behalf of DEFRA Ministers.
	We are currently considering the advice from the Advisory Committee on Pesticides that approvals for aminopyralid could be reinstated subject to various conditions.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland with reference to the answer of 25 November 2008,  Official Report, column 1566W, on departmental electronic equipment, how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have spent on (i) flat screen televisions, (ii) DVD players and (iii) stereo equipment since November 2008.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows expenditure by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland and its agencies but excluding its NDPBs, on (i) flat screen televisions, (ii) DVD players and (iii) stereo equipment since November 2008:
	
		
			   Flat Screen Televisions  DVD Players  Stereo Equipment 
			 NIO Core 3,848 1,947 0 
			 Compensation Agency 0 20 0 
			 Youth Justice Agency 2,413 2,008 375 
			 Forensic Science NI 0 0 0 
		
	
	 Northern Ireland Prison Service
	For this agency, the details requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure has to be incurred in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Marketing

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on branded stationery and gifts for  (a) internal and  (b) external promotional use in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The costs requested for the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland but excluding its Agencies and Executive NDPBs, in each of the last five years, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Internal(£)  External (£) 
			 2004-05 Nil 841 
			 2005-06 318 26,149 
			 2006-07 Nil 22,046 
			 2007-08 665 23,868 
			 2008-09 275 26,613

Departmental Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last two years.

Shaun Woodward: The following table shows how much the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, but excluding its Agencies and Executive NDPBs, spent using Royal Mail in each of the last two years.
	
		
			   Expenditure (£) 
			 2007-08 £66,473 
			 2008-09 £161,125 
		
	
	These figures exclude companies who operate franking machines and may make payments to Royal Mail. The £95,000 increase from 2007-08 to 2008-09 relates to an increase from £32,000 in 2007-08 to £81,000 in 2008-09 by the Chief Electoral Office due to the European elections and an increase from £371,000 in 2007-08 to £49,000 in 2008-09 by Access NI resulting from their first full operating year.

Departmental Training

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on health and safety training for its staff in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: Expenditure by the Northern Ireland Office, including the Public Prosecution Service Northern Ireland, its agencies and NDPBs on health and safety training for its staff in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   (£) 
			 2008-09 17,870 
			 2007-08 6,000 
			 2006-07 6,000 
			 2005-06 8,170 
			 2004-05 0 
		
	
	The increase in expenditure in 2008-09 relates to the provision of health and safety e-learning to all members of staff.

Mass Media

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much his Department spent on press monitoring in each of the last five years.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office has an in-house media monitoring service to meet the needs of Ministers and senior officials within the Department. It also provides its media monitoring services to Ministers and officials in the devolved Administration and a number of external public sector stakeholders.
	Costs for this service in each of the last five years are detailed in the following tables and broken down into both equipment and staff costs. Equipment costs are all the costs associated with press monitoring for example televisions, DVD recorders, DVD discs, tapes, radios and transcribers.
	The Department recoups a percentage of its running costs by passing on a small charge to its clients.
	
		
			  Equipment costs 
			   £ 
			 2004-05 14,052.15 
			 2005-06 2,397.76 
			 2006-07 1,682.94 
			 2007-08 6,080.04 
			 2008-09- 2,957.14 
		
	
	 Staff costs
	Currently there are four members of staff employed in the Media Monitoring Unit and a further five typists to transcribe media monitoring requests. Staffing numbers have fluctuated over this period. I have provided the average salary costs for each team in each of the last five years:
	
		
			  £ 
			   Media Monitoring Unit  Typing Pool 
			 2004-05 70,000 69,000 
			 2005-06 70,200 72,000 
			 2006-07 79,000 79,000 
			 2007-08 69,000 79,000 
			 2008-09 62,000 82,000

Police Community Support Officers

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to enable the Police Service of Northern Ireland to recruit police community support officers;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effectiveness of the deployment of police community support officers in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: The PSNI is committed to working with the community to deliver an effective, efficient and impartial policing service. The Chief Constable, Northern Ireland Policing Board and I are all agreed that police community support officers have an important role to play alongside police and other support staff in making communities safer and providing public reassurance on areas of local concern.
	The Police Service of Northern Ireland has received a resource allocation in excess of £1.1 billion for each of the three years of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07). The timing of the introduction of PCSOs is a matter for the Chief Constable to consider, in consultation with the Policing Board.

Young Offenders

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many juveniles detained in custody in the  (a) Juvenile Justice Centre and  (b) Young Offenders Centre in each of the last 10 years had been resident in care homes prior to their detention.

Paul Goggins: The information requested in  (a) is set out in the table. Figures for 2009 are not yet available.
	
		
			  (a) Initial admissions to custody by care comparison for the Juvenile Justice Centre 
			   2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			  Admission on Sentence  
			 From Care 6 12 11 7 3 
			 Not from Care 21 14 17 14 13 
			 Not known - - - - - 
			   
			  Admission on Remand  
			 From Care 36 55 44 47 17 
			 Not from Care 62 93 84 128 100 
			 Not known - 2 5 - 2 
			   
			  Admission on PACE  
			 From Care 65 40 62 49 28 
			 Not from Care 112 84 104 110 90 
			 Not known 4 6 9 - 1 
			   
			  Total initial admissions  
			 From Care 107 107 117 103 48 
			 Not from Care 195 191 205 252 203 
			 Not known 4 8 14 - 3 
			   
			 Percentage from Care 35.0 35.0 34.8 29.0 18.9 
			  Notes: 1. The Youth Justice Agency was established in April 2003 and data prior to this are not readily available. The above figures represent full calendar years. 2. Initial admissions are for new admissions into the centre. It does not include any internal change of status, e.g. remand to sentence. A young person may be admitted to the centre on more than one occasion during the timeframe. 3. Figures are based on young people who are in a care home at time of admission. 4. Information is drawn from operational data sources which are inherently difficult to validate. 
		
	
	The information requested in  (b) is not held. Hydebank Wood juvenile committals over the last 10 years total in excess of 900. The centre does not routinely capture details of pre-detention care home accommodation. To source the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

TREASURY

Banks: Directors

Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to Sir David Walker's report on bank corporate governance, what his policy is on the appointment of a proportion of non-executive directors of financial institutions by organisations other than those on whose board they serve.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Appointments to boards of companies are a matter for the companies and their shareholders in line with the statutory framework. The Combined Code on Corporate Governance sets out information on the role of the board and directors and stipulates that board appointments should be made on merit and against objective criteria.
	The function of non-executive directors in banks and other financial institutions is being considered by Sir David Walker as part of his review of corporate governance. Sir David published his consultation paper on 16 July and is inviting comments by 1 October with a view to reporting to the Government in November. The Government welcomed Sir David's consultation paper and looks forward to receiving his final conclusions.

Banks: Finance

Michael Meacher: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent from the public purse in each cost category on support for UK banks in each month since August 2007.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Treasury does not publish breakdown of financial support provided to banks other than on a financial year basis. Details of the financial support provided to UK banks for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09 are set out in the Treasury's Resource Accounts for 2007-08 (HC 539) and 2008-09 (HC 611), respectively.

Capital Gains Tax: Second Homes

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to change tax arrangements for second homes from 2010; whether he plans to undertake a consultation on such arrangements; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Tax policy changes are considered through the Budget process in the usual way. The Government consider a range of factors when formulating tax policy and keep all aspects of the tax system under review.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the oral answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 756, on Equitable Life, what further consideration has been given to introducing interim emergency payments on compassionate grounds to Equitable Life policyholders; and what recent discussions his Department has had with Sir John Chadwick on this matter.

Liam Byrne: Sir John is making good progress with his work. The Government regularly discuss this with him and provides updates to the House and the public accordingly.
	Both Sir John and Government recognise the need to reach a conclusion on this matter with expedition, while balancing speed against the need to come to the right conclusions that deliver justice to policyholders based upon the findings of the Ombudsman's report that the Government have accepted.
	At this stage, no decisions can be taken upon the nature of ex gratia payments. In the meantime, the Government await the presentation of Sir John's advice, to which it will of course give due consideration and respond accordingly as to the nature of the ex gratia payments scheme.
	I can confirm that we have drawn to Sir John Chadwick's attention your interest in making interim payments and, as I have already said, the need to reach a conclusion on the matter of Equitable Life as soon as possible is recognised.

Housing: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many properties are recorded with each  (a) dwellinghouse code and  (b) value significant code in each local authority area in Brentwood according to electronic records held by the Valuation Office Agency.

Stephen Timms: The number of properties with the codes requested as at 2 January 2009 is:
	
		
			  (a) Dwelling  house Codes in Brentwood 
			  Dwelling codes  Number of properties 
			 01 251 
			 02 291 
			 03 1,019 
			 04 773 
			 05 11 
			 06 30 
			 07 28 
			 08 416 
			 09 207 
			 10 213 
			 13 0 
			 14 18 
			 19 16 
			 20 178 
			 21 2,886 
			 24 465 
			 25 108 
			 30 226 
			 31 13,214 
			 32 3,624 
			 35 368 
			 36 310 
			 37 167 
			 39 8 
			 40 108 
			 41 185 
			 42 107 
			 43 10 
			 44 55 
			 45 15 
			 46 82 
			 48 25 
			 50 6 
			 51 1,543 
			 52 0 
			 55 15 
			 56 3,233 
			 60 272 
			 61 236 
			 62 540 
			 70 9 
			 71 77 
			 72 0 
			 80 11 
			 81 16 
			 82 0 
			 90 0 
			 91 0 
			 92 0 
			 94 0 
			 95 0 
			 96 0 
			 97 0 
			 98 0 
			 99 23 
		
	
	
		
			  (b) Value significant codes in Brentwood 
			  Value significant codes  Number of properties 
			 A 9 
			 AM 42 
			 AO 0 
			 AV 0 
			 AW <5 
			 B 187 
			 BA 161 
			 BB 128 
			 BC 28 
			 BD 15 
			 C 0 
			 CB 0 
			 CH 0 
			 CI 6 
			 CN 56 
			 CO <5 
			 CP 60 
			 CS 56 
			 D 0 
			 DS 491 
			 EF 0 
			 F 0 
			 FC 0 
			 FG <5 
			 FO 0 
			 FP <5 
			 GG <5 
			 GN 0 
			 HO 8 
			 I 0 
			 L 27 
			 LE <5 
			 LF 17 
			 LR 98 
			 LS 27 
			 LT 15 
			 M 0 
			 NA 469 
			 OS 6 
			 P 0 
			 PL 17 
			 PS <5 
			 Q 6 
			 QA 10 
			 QB 26 
			 QC <5 
			 QD <5 
			 R 0 
			 RC 7 
			 S 0 
			 SC <5 
			 T 0 
			 TM 94 
			 TQ 172 
			 TU 7 
			 U 33 
			 UC 291 
			 UL 76 
			 UN <5 
			 UO 11 
			 UP 124 
			 UR 6 
			 US 117 
			 V 0 
			 VC 0 
			 VE 0 
			 VH <5 
			 VI 0 
			 VL <5 
			 VM <5 
			 VO 82 
			 VP 44 
			 VR 0 
			 VS 0 
			 WK 250 
			 X 86 
			 YG 9 
			 ZH 39 
			 ZI 20 
			 ZJ 369 
			 ZL 4,808 
			 ZN 6 
		
	
	For both  (a) and  (b) above and where a value of '<5' is displayed, this is to prevent individual properties being identified.

Income Tax

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the total income tax take from residents of  (a) each local authority area and  (b) each parliamentary constituency in England was in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: Information on income tax revenues by unitary authority from 1999-2000 and parliamentary constituency from 2002-03 can be found in tables 3.14 "Income and tax by borough and district or unitary authority" and 3.15 "Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency" in the National Statistics section of HM Revenue and Customs' (HMRC) website respectively, available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#314.
	Estimates for earlier periods are not available. Estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes, of which 2006-07 is currently the latest available.
	Any inference from the information in tables 3.14 and 3.15 should take into account the confidence intervals in table 3.14a "income and tax by borough and district or unitary authority, Confidence Intervals" and table 3.15a "Income and tax by Parliamentary Constituency, Confidence Intervals", also available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/income_distribution/menu-by-year.htm#314.

Interest Rates: Credit Cards

Elliot Morley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that financial services providers reflect the Bank of England base interest rate in the interest rates offered on credit cards.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government fully understand concerns over interest rates charged by some credit card lenders. In December last year the Government took decisive action to secure agreement from the credit card industry to Fair Principles for any interest rate increase they introduce on reviewing an individual's account. These came into force in January 2009, and provide extra protections when a customer or group of customers' interest rate is changed as a result of a perceived change in their ability to repay their debts.
	On the 2 July Government published the Consumer White Paper detailing plans to bring forth a review of credit and store card regulation. The review will examine whether restrictions should be placed on the raising of interest rates on existing debts.
	The review will also explore if minimum monthly repayments should be raised to combat debt levels, it will also look at the benefits and risks of banning the practice of increasing borrowers credit limits without their consent, and what order debts built up on a credit card should be paid off. We intend to publish a consultation in the autumn and report our findings in the new year.

Members: Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to reply to the letter of 21 July 2009 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Florence Gadjui.

Stephen Timms: I have replied to the right hon. Member.

Pay

Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to establish a commission to examine high levels of remuneration; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The Government have a role to play in preventing undesirable practices which encourage excessive risk-taking such as remuneration policies in the banking sector. However, in general, private sector remuneration arrangements are a matter for employers, employees and shareholders to agree.

Payments Council

Colin Breed: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Payments Council on the phasing out of cheques as a method of payment; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The National Payments Council are not considering phasing out cheques as a method of payment, but only whether it would be sensible to set a long-term date for closing the use of a cheque clearing system.
	In the National Payments Plan, the Payments Council committed to conducting initial research and analysis into the future of cheques as a method of payment, with the aims of:
	understanding the barriers to cheque substitution;
	identifying the areas where work is needed on acceptable alternatives to cheques; and,
	clarifying where more education is needed on existing alternatives.
	The Payments Council is committed to being open and transparent in its review of the future of the cheque clearing and even if a timescale were to be set, various milestones would need to be agreed and delivered before any final decision would be taken to irrevocably close cheque operations.

Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980

Jo Swinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have not recently made any such assessment.

State Retirement Pensions

Steve Webb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1309W, on state retirement pensions, how many  (a) men and  (b) women who reached state pension age between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 have taken up the option of buying back one or more years of class 3 national insurance contributions under the measures contained in the Pensions Act 2008 to date; and how much has been paid back in contributions by such individuals to date.

Stephen Timms: The number of people who reached state pension age between 6 April 2008 and 5 April 2009 and have taken up the option of buying back one or more years of class 3 national insurance contributions under the measure introduced by the Pensions Act 2008 is  (a) 21 men and  (b) 204 women. National insurance contributions of £37,682.20 were paid by the men and £343,571.90 by the women.

Tax Credit

Shailesh Vara: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was paid in tax credits to residents of  (a) each local authority area and  (b) each parliamentary constituency in England in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: Child and working tax credit were introduced in April 2003 when they replaced working families' tax credit, disabled person's tax credit and children's tax credit.
	Estimates of expenditure on tax credits at local authority and parliamentary constituency level are available only at disproportionate cost because the necessary expenditure data are not readily available on a geographical basis.
	Estimates of the average number of recipient families and their entitlements (as opposed to payments) to tax credits, by local authority and parliamentary constituency, for each year between 2003-04 and 2007-08, are available in the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) publications "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses", available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm
	The same information for 2008-09 is not yet available as awards have not yet been finalised. However, estimates of the number of recipient families with tax credits, based on provisional awards, as at 1 April 2009, are available in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses. April 2009", available at the same internet address.
	Estimates of the number of working families' tax credit and disabled person's tax credit recipients, and the average weekly value of awards, from May 2001 to November 2002 are available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/wftc/wfdptc_geog.htm
	Estimates prior to May 2001 are not available. Similarly estimates are not available for children's tax credit.

Taxation: Gambling

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the Exchequer of the decisions by William Hill and Ladbrokes to relocate their betting operations from the UK to Gibraltar.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: General betting duty is charged at 15 per cent. of the gross profit of UK bookmakers. Bookmakers' profits include profits from "over the counter" placed bets and remotely taken Internet and telephone placed bets.
	HMRC do not break down general betting duty receipts into these component parts, and cannot release taxpayer specific data while maintaining taxpayer confidentiality.

UK Financial Investments

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what reason was given by John Kingman for his resignation as Chief Executive of UK Financial Investments Ltd.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Forthcoming leadership changes at UK Financial Investment Ltd were set out in a press release on 28 July which can be accessed via the UKFI website:
	http://www.ukfi.gov.uk/releases/20090728%20UKFI%20Chair%20PN.pdf

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Academies Enterprise Trust

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what funding his Department has provided for the Academies Enterprise Trust in each year since the Trust was established;
	(2)  which schools in  (a) Essex and  (b) elsewhere have been transferred to the Academies Enterprise Trust to date; on what date each such transfer took place; how much funding was provided to each school upon transfer; and from what sources such funding was drawn.

Vernon Coaker: The following schools in Essex have been transferred to the Academies Enterprise Trust. No schools elsewhere have been transferred.
	In September 2008: The Rickstones School became Rickstones Academy, Greensward College became Greensward Academy and the John Bramston School became the Maltings Academy. In September 2009, Bishops Park College and Colbayns High School became Clacton Coastal Academy.
	The funding in the table was provided in respect of academies which constitute the Academies Enterprise Trust. The source of all funding is the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
	
		
			  Total in respect of all academies within the Academies Enterprise Trust 
			  Development funding provided prior to the academies opening  £ 
			 2008/09 2,838,314 
			 2009/10 409,542 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			  Funding provided once the academies were open  2008/09  2009/10 
			 Greensward Academy 9,021,118 7,874,024 
			 Maltings Academy 6,258,017 5,679,145 
			 New Rickstones Academy 5,459,257 4,830,734 
			 Clacton Coastal Academy 0 11,191,473

Academies Enterprise Trust

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the  (a) accounts and  (b) annual reports provided to his Department by the Academies Enterprise Trust for each year of the Trust's existence.

Vernon Coaker: We have not yet received any accounts or annual reports from the Academies Enterprises Trust.
	The Academies Enterprises Trust comprises Greensward Academy, Maltings Academy and New Rickstones Academy, which opened in September 2008 and Clacton Coast which opened in September 2009. For the Academies that opened in 2008, their first annual report and accounts will cover the period 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009. The Trust would then have until 31 December 2009 to get their audited accounts to us. For the Clacton Coastal Academy, audited accounts are due to be with us by 31 December 2010.
	Once finalised, the accounts will be in the public domain and will be published on the Charities Commission's website.

Faith Schools

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether teachers can be dismissed for conduct incompatible with the tenets of the religious denomination specified in relation to voluntary-aided schools with a religious character.

Vernon Coaker: Voluntary-aided schools with a religious character do have the ability to have regard to the conduct of a teacher which is incompatible with the tenets of the religion of the school when considering the termination of employment of any teacher.
	I firmly believe and trust in the professionalism of our head teachers and in the skill and abilities of governing bodies across the country to ensure that they conduct the employment process fairly and in line with relevant legislation.

Faith Schools

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of whether religious education in voluntary-aided schools with a religious character can be given in accordance with the tenets of the religion or the religious denomination specified in relation to the school by teachers who are not of that religion;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of whether religious education in voluntary-aided schools with a religious character can be given by teachers who do not share the same faith as the religion or the religious denomination specified in relation to the school.

Vernon Coaker: The choice of who delivers religious education (and any other subject) in voluntary aided schools is a matter for local determination. Head teachers and governing bodies in voluntary aided schools will judge the appropriateness or otherwise of individuals who teach, or are seeking an appointment to teach, religious education in their schools. The law maintains that preference may be given to those of the faith but it is not implicit that only those of the faith may teach RE.

Free School Meals

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in  (a) York,  (b) North Yorkshire,  (c) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (d) England have received free school meals in each year since 1979.

Diana Johnson: Information is collected on both free school meal eligibility and the number of pupils actually taking a free school meal on the day of the School Census. Most data analysis is based on eligibility which has only been collected since 1997. The number of pupils taking free school meals has been collected since 1989. The readily available information for these years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Maintained nursery, maintained primary( 1)  and secondary schools( 1,2) : pupils( 3)  eligible for free school meals as at January each year in England, Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region, York local authority and North Yorkshire local authority. 
			Nursery and Primary Schools( 1)  Secondary Schools( 1,2) 
			Number of pupils on roll( 3)  Number of pupils taking free school meals  %  of pupils taking free school  meals  Number of pupils eligible for free school meals  %  of pupils eligible for free school meals  Number of pupils on roll( 3)  Number of pupils taking free school meals  %  of pupils taking free school  meals  Number of pupils eligible for free school meals  %  of pupils eligible for free school meals 
			  England
			  2009 4,114,630 558,590 13.6 656,570 16.0 3,278,130 338,320 10.3 438,860 13.4 
			  2008 4,127,840 538,460 13.0 641,490 15.5 3,294,580 326,480 9.9 433,140 13.1 
			  2007 4,148,390 544,370 13.1 658.910 15.9 3,272,480 314,630 9.6 429.700 13.1 
			  2006 4,187,630 556,180 13.3 670,340 16.0 3,309,720 328,750 9.9 448.680 13.6 
			  2005 4,243,110 568,350 13.4 717.230 16.9 3,317,590 335,140 10.1 465.520 14.0 
			  2004 4,293,180 608,760 14.2 741,150 17.3 3,326,800 351,380 10.6 477.290 14.3 
			  2003 4,350,260 604,910 13.9 731,610 16.8 3,308,490 349,780 10.6 478.920 14.5 
			  2002 4,405,640 616,630 14.0 754,510 17.1 3,260,930 354,260 10.9 486.350 14.9 
			  2001 4,451,220 631,640 14.2 783.510 17.6 3,226,970 353,470 11.0 509,680 15.8 
			  2000 4,481,680 671,490 15.0 821,520 18.3 3,178,000 368,300 11.6 523.630 16.5 
			  1999 4,507,660 690,320 15.3 853.020 18.9 3,118,280 367,800 11.8 527.340 16.9 
			  1998 4,508,920 731,580 16.2 891,050 19.8 3,069,030 367,800 12.0 537,070 17.5 
			  1997 4,479,450 775,740 17.3 994.590 21.1 3,036,990 381,240 12.6 552,900 18.2 
			  1996 4,441,600 828,410 18.7 n/a n/a 3,006,940 399,620 13.3 n/a n/a 
			  1995 4,364,710 815,260 18.7 n/a n/a 2,988,950 387,550 13.0 n/a n/a 
			  1994 4,294,150 815,440 19 n/a n/a 2,929,350 370,160 13 n/a n/a 
			  1993 4,218,480 773,870 18 n/a n/a 2,960,830 338,190 11 n/a n/a 
			  1992 4,141,300 680,940 16 n/a n/a 2,858,280 292,710 10 n/a n/a 
			  1991 4,099,610 562,990 14 n/a n/a 2,848,220 235,110 8 n/a n/a 
			  1990 4,036,540 519,230 13 n/a n/a 2,920,490 223,970 8 n/a n/a 
			  1989 3,955,800 515,400 13 n/a n/a 2,944,720 235,220 8 n/a n/a 
			 
			  Yorkshire and the Humber
			  2009 437,020 58,670 13.4 69.510 15.9 335,510 34,670 10.3 47.440 14.1 
			  2008 437,840 55,820 12.7 67.590 15.4 339,710 33,590 9.9 47.690 14.0 
			  2007 441,080 55,030 12.5 68.580 15.5 339,070 31,840 9.4 47.150 13.9 
			  2006 446,780 57,310 12.8 69.670 15.6 345,870 33,960 9.8 50.370 14.6 
			  2005 454,150 59,480 13.1 76.650 16.9 348,680 35,220 10.1 53.160 15.2 
			  2004 461,170 65,870 14.3 80,800 17.3 350,020 37,760 10.8 54,170 15.5 
			  2003 470,470 67,240 14.3 81,890 17.4 347,630 37,760 10.9 55,580 16.0 
			  2002 478,850 68,770 14.4 85,850 17.9 343,020 36,490 10.6 56,290 16.4 
			  2001 485,180 72,160 14.9 88,880 18.3 339,290 37,590 11.1 58,260 17.2 
			  2000 484,630 76,240 15.7 93,160 19.2 340,300 40,770 12.0 62,420 18.3 
			  1999 484,440 77,300 16.0 95,250 19.7 340,130 41,520 12.2 64,160 18.9 
			  1998 486,700 80,530 16.5 99,550 20.5 336,320 41,450 12.3 65,310 19.4 
			  1997 486,730 86,070 17.7 105,430 21.7 333,870 43,020 12.9 66,150 19.8 
			 
			  North Yorkshire (post-1997) local authority
			  2009 43,210 2,930 6.8 3,480 8.1 40,590 1,850 4.6 2,440 6.0 
			  2008 43,500 2,810 6.4 3,390 7.8 40,950 1,830 4.5 2,440 6.0 
			  2007 44,030 2,900 6.6 3,480 7.9 41,530 1,790 4.3 2,470 5.9 
			  2006 44,790 2,860 6.4 3,450 7.7 41,910 1,740 4.2 2,450 5.9 
			  2005 45,630 3,010 6.6 3,630 7.9 42,080 1,870 4.4 2,490 5.9 
			  2004 46,420 3,390 7.3 3,900 8.4 42,060 1,910 4.5 2,570 6.1 
			  2003 47,340 3,280 6.9 3,910 8.3 41,640 1,820 4.4 2,390 5.7 
			  2002 48,030 3,410 7.1 4,030 8.4 40,890 1,860 4.5 2,420 5.9 
			  2001 48,480 3,560 7.3 4,310 8.9 40,220 1,810 4.5 2,580 6.4 
			  2000 49,020 3,970 8.1 4,730 9.7 39,300 2,050 5.2 2,700 6.9 
			  1999 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  1998 48,720 4,190 8.6 4,880 10.0 37,580 2,030 5.4 2,700 7.2 
			  1997 48,160 4,440 9.2 5,110 10.6 36,980 2,040 5.5 2,670 7.2 
			 
			  York (post-1997) local authority
			  2009 12,990 970 7.5 1,240 9.6 9,870 570 5.8 800 8.1 
			  2008 13,120 940 7.1 1,210 9.2 9,960 610 6.1 780 7.8 
			  2007 13,250 1,010 7.6 1,290 9.7 10,180 550 5.4 810 8.0 
			  2006 13,550 1,100 8.1 1,340 9.9 10,230 570 5.6 830 8.1 
			  2005 13,760 1,140 8.3 1,340 9.7 10,330 570 5.5 790 7.6 
			  2004 13,820 1,160 8.4 1,390 10.0 10,490 570 5.4 820 7.9 
			  2003 13,970 1,110 7.9 1,340 9.6 10,370 570 5.5 780 7.6 
			  2002 14,420 1,210 8.4 1,470 10.2 10,100 590 5.8 860 8.5 
			  2001 14,780 1,290 8.7 1,640 11.1 9,970 650 6.5 890 8.9 
			  2000 15,020 1,450 9.6 1,750 11.6 9,820 690 7.0 920 9.3 
			  1999 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			  1998 15,060 1,670 11.1 2,030 13.5 9,290 770 8.2 1,030 11.1 
			  1997 15,010 1,860 12.4 2,250 15.0 9,320 790 8.5 1,060 11.4 
			 
			  North Yorkshire (pre-1997) local authority
			  1996 62,210 6,450 10.4 n/a n/a 45,570 2,940 6.5 n/a n/a 
			  1995 60,980 6,340 10.4 n/a n/a 45,000 2,800 6.2 n/a n/a 
			  1994 59,640 6,080 10 n/a n/a 43,960 2,590 6 n/a n/a 
			  1993 58,560 5,520 9 n/a n/a 44,600 2,310 5 n/a n/a 
			  1992 57,350 4,940 9 n/a n/a 42,890 2,010 5 n/a n/a 
			  1991 56,500 4,050 7 n/a n/a 42,670 1,620 4 n/a n/a 
			  1990 56,160 3,580 6 n/a n/a 42,420 1,670 4 n/a n/a 
			  1989 54,740 3,420 6 n/a n/a 43,710 1,900 4 n/a n/a 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes City Technology Colleges and Academies in 2008 and 2009. (3) From 2003, free school meals was based on sole and dual main registrations, and includes boarders. Previous years excluded boarders.  Note: Pupil numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: School Census.

GCE A-Level

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of A-Levels in  (a) chemistry,  (b) physics,  (c) mathematics and  (d) modern languages were awarded to pupils at (i) grammar schools, (ii) comprehensive schools, (iii) sixth form colleges and (iv) independent schools in the 2008-09 academic year.

Iain Wright: The information requested is not yet available. The data will only be available for release after the publication of a Statistical First Release planned for 15 October 2009.

Pupils: Sunscreens

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if he will undertake a review of the guidance provided to schools on the application of sunscreen products to pupils for the purpose of revising that guidance to permit children to apply such products;
	(2)  if he will issue guidance to schools on the use of sunscreen products by schoolchildren involved in outdoor activity during the summer months.

Diana Johnson: We have no current guidance specifically on applying sunscreen and none is envisaged. But we would not advise against pupils bringing and applying their own sunscreen in-school or during offsite visits. It is for local authorities and governing bodies to formulate their own policies. These should state the school position on the use of sunscreens in the school grounds and farther afield when learning outside the classroom. Teachers and other support staff are not legally obliged to administer sunscreens. That said, schools discharge their duty of care by ensuring that children are not exposed overmuch to the sun in any event.
	It is good practice for teachers and support staff to check that pupils, while playing or learning in the sunshine, are protected against the risk of sunburn-by appropriate clothing and hats as well as sunscreen applied at home or in school-and that they spend time in the shade as necessary.

Schools: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to Table 8.4 of his Department's Annual Report 2009, pages 175-6, which individual programmes and corresponding allocations are aggregated as  (a) specialist schools/city and national challenge/interventions,  (b) national strategies/curriculum/behaviour/gifted and talented,  (c) other miscellaneous programmes,  (d) area based grants and  (e) modernising the teaching profession for 2010-11.

Diana Johnson: The Department's programmes shown aggregated in DCSF's Departmental Annual Report 2009 for the year 2010-11 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Departmental report allocation  2010-11 
			  (a) Specialist Schools/City and National Challenge/Interventions  
			 City Challenge/ National Challenge 84 
			 Specialist and High Performing Schools 31 
			 Partnership and Federations 1 
			 School Interventions Budget/ New Relationships with Schools 16 
			 Specialist Schools/City and National Challenge/Interventions Total 132 
			   
			  (b) National strategies /Curriculum / Behaviour/ Gifted and Talented  
			 Pupil Well Being 1 
			 Schools Collaboration Organisation and Fair Access/Independent Schools and Schools Organisation/ School Governance 46 
			 Literacy and Numeracy, Central Driving 655 
			 Strategy and performance 1 
			 Assessment Team/Achievement and attainment/raise online 13 
			 Performance Schools Division Budgets Gifted and Talented/ Study support/ Playing success 237 
			 Curriculum 232 
			 PE Sport Strategy for Young People 168 
			 Behaviour/Alternative Provision 26 
			 Teachers' Pension Contractual 9 
			 National Strategies/Curriculum/Behaviour/Gifted and Talented total 1,388 
			   
			  (c) Other Miscellaneous Programmes  
			 Music, Ballet and Dance 32 
			 Premature Retirement Compensation and Voluntary Colleges 12 
			 Families Division-Respect 19 
			 Family Learning Impact Fund 44 
			 Section 48 Inspection/Work for Development Grants 31 
			 Other miscellaneous programmes total 138 
			   
			  (d) Area Based Grants  
			 Connexions 467 
			 Children's Fund 132 
			 Positive Activities for Young People Programmes 94 
			 Teenage Pregnancy Local Implementation 28 
			 Flexible 14-19 Partnerships Funding 15 
			 Respect-Youth Taskforce Areas 4 
			 Substance Misuse 7 
			 School Development Grant (LA element) 168 
			 Secondary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 30 
			 Primary National Strategy: Central Co-ordination 30 
			 School Improvement Partners 24 
			 Extended Rights for Free Travel 29 
			 School Intervention 15 
			 Secondary Behaviour and Attendance Strategy: Co-ordination 13 
			 Education Health Partnerships 13 
			 School Travel Advisers 7 
			 Choice Advisers 6 
			 General Duty on Sustainable Travel to School 4 
			 Extended Schools-Start-up funding 71 
			 Care Matters Grant 55 
			 Children's Social Care Workforce 18 
			 Child Death Review Processes 8 
			 Child Trust Fund 1 
			 Designated Teacher Funding 3 
			 Area Based Grants total (1)1,242 
			  (e) Modernising the Teaching Profession  
			 Medical Fees and Services 1 
			 Threshold and Performance Pay Management (PPM) (SWU) 4 
			 School Workforce Unit (SWU) Remodelling 137 
			 Modernising the Teaching Profession total 142 
			  Note:  The total in this table contains figures that have been updated since the publication of the 2009 Departmental Report

Schools: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to Table 8.4 of his Department's Annual Report 2009, pages 175-6, which individual programmes and corresponding allocations are aggregated as  (a) parenting and families,  (b) special educational needs/disabilities,  (c) building capacity and  (d) child wellbeing for 2010-11.

Diana Johnson: The Department's programmes shown aggregated in DCSF's departmental annual report 2009 for the year 2010-11 are provided in the table:
	
		
			  Departmental report allocation 
			  2010-11  £ million 
			  (a) Parenting and families  
			 Youth Capital Fund 26 
			 Secure Accommodation Capital 13 
			 Family Unit Current Grants 15 
			 Parenting and Families total 54 
			  (b) Special Education Needs/Disabilities  
			 Children in Care/Special Educational Needs Non-Maintained Special Schools-capital 6 
			 Special Educational Needs and Non-Maintained Special Schools/Allegation Management Advisors (Safeguarding Advisors)/Medical and Legal costs 247 
			 Family Support (Contact) 5 
			 Special Educational Needs/Disabilities total 258 
			   
			  (c) Building Capacity  
			 Schools Channels 5 
			 LA Capacity and Intervention/Young London Matters 15 
			 Children and Families Directorate Communications 2 
			 Building Capacity total 22 
			   
			  (d) Child Wellbeing  
			 Priority Funds-Extension of three to four-year-old offer 340 
			 Children in Care Proposals 48 
			 Joint Birth Registration 10 
			 Unaccompanied Asylum Seekers' Children/Choice Protects (receipts) -18 
			 Teenage Pregnancy Grant 2 
			 Treatment Foster Care 1 
			 Child Well Being total 383

Schools: Finance

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families with reference to Table 8.4 of his Department's Annual Report 2009, pages 175-6, which individual programmes and corresponding allocations are aggregated as  (a) investment in school buildings devolved programmes,  (b) investment in school buildings targeted funding and  (c) investment in school buildings credit approvals for 2010-11.

Diana Johnson: The Department's programmes shown aggregated in DCSF's Departmental Annual Report 2009 for the year 2010-11 are provided in the following table:
	
		
			  Departmental report allocation 
			   £ million 
			  (a) Devolved programmes (2010-11)  
			 Knowledge Architecture 2 
			 ICT Capital in Schools 30 
			 Devolved Formula Capital-Academies 4 
			 Targeted Capital Fund-Voluntary Aided 181 
			 Local Co-ordinated Voluntary Aided Programme 118 
			 Devolved Formula Capital and Transport 1,220 
			 Specialist Schools-Standard Funds 15 
			 LA Modernisation-Standard Funds 79 
			 ICT-Standard Funds 142 
			 Extended Schools-Standard Funds 46 
			 Total 1,837 
			   
			  (b) Targeted programmes (2010-11)  
			 Targeted Capital Fund-Standards Music 4 
			 Devolved Formula Capital-Voluntary Aided 22 
			 TCF-Standard Funds 718 
			 Total 744 
			   
			  ( c) Credit approvals (s chools credit approvals to LA) 545

Schools: Nottinghamshire

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent representations he has received from Nottinghamshire County Council on the future of three to 18 schools in Nottinghamshire.

Diana Johnson: None. The planning of education provision in an area is the responsibility of the local authority (LA). Where LAs propose to make changes to local school provision, including closures, opening new schools and other alterations, they must follow a statutory process, which includes consultation with all those likely to be affected by the proposals. These are then decided under established local decision making arrangements. Ministers have no direct role in the process.

Schools: Transport

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in  (a) York,  (b) North Yorkshire,  (c) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (d) England have received assistance with the cost of travel to school in each year since 1979.

Diana Johnson: The Department does not collect information on the number of children who receive assistance with the cost of travel to school.

Schools: Transport

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate his Department has made of the average distance travelled to school by secondary school pupils using school buses to reach their catchment area school.

Diana Johnson: The Department does not collect information on the average distance travelled by secondary school pupils using school buses to reach their school.

Secondary Education: Standards

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the most recent value added score of each maintained secondary school in England is.

Iain Wright: The Department's standard measure for progress between Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 is Contextual Value Added.
	The CVA measure is a statistical means of assessing the relative effectiveness of a school and of measuring pupil progress. It shows how a school's results compare with the results achieved by similar pupils in other schools.
	A school level CVA measure must always be interpreted alongside the confidence intervals (CI). Schools where the lower CI is above 1,000 represent schools where pupils on average made significantly more progress than pupils nationally, while schools where the upper CI is below 1,000 represent schools where pupils made significantly less progress.
	Further information on CVA can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/schools 08/s3.shtml
	Figures for individual schools in 2008 are available on the departmental website:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/performancetables/schools 08.shtml
	Figures for all schools in 2008 are available in a publication file that has been added to the House Libraries. Note that this file contains independent schools as well as maintained schools.

CABINET OFFICE

10 Downing Street: Repairs and Maintenance

Eric Pickles: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Ruislip-Northwood of 27 January 2009,  Official Report, column 467W, on 10 Downing Street: repairs and maintenance, how much has been spent in the last 24 months on the refurbishment of lavatories in 10 Downing Street.

Angela Smith: Information on capital expenditure in 2007-08 and 2008-09 on improving Cabinet Office buildings, including the Downing street estate are included in the annual Cabinet Office resource accounts. Copies are available in the Library of the House.

Capacitybuilders

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the names are of the members of the selection panel for the Capacitybuilders Campaigning Research Programme fund.

Angela Smith: The members of the selection panel are: Angela Sarkis (chair on panel, member of Capacitybuilders Board), Titus Alexander (Novas Scarman), Rachael Stokes (NCVO) and Jessica Ellis (Capacitybuilders)
	The panel have short listed 49 organisations at this stage in the process.
	As this is an action research programme, short listing decisions were based largely on ensuring that the projects proceeding to the next stage of selection include a spread of; geographic location, the marginalised group which is the focus of the campaign, and the age, size and turnover of the nominated organisation. Not being short listed should in no way be seen as a judgment on the campaign's significance or potential.
	The final programme will support up to 30 organisations through a package of grant funding, mentoring, peer support and training. The panel will meet again in October 2009 to make the final selection, which will again be based upon maintaining a diverse range of projects. Initial research findings will be available in spring 2010.

Census

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what  (a) questions and  (b) answer categories (i) used in the 2001 Census and (ii) to be used in the 2011 Census were not included in the 1991 Census.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, 8 September 2009:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what  (a) questions and  (b) answer categories used in the (i) 2001 and (ii) 2011 Census were not included in the 1991 Census. (290699).
	 2001
	The following were the questions and answer categories included in the 2001 Census that were not included in the 1991 Census:
	 (a) Questions
	religion
	general health
	provision of unpaid care
	time since last worked
	type of landlord
	whether schoolchild/student
	lowest floor level of accommodation
	size of workforce at place of work
	 (b) Answer categories
	The format of the 2001 Census questionnaire was different in many ways from that used in the 1991 Census. For example, the Relationship question in 2001 had specific tick-boxes for each of the several types of relationship which in 1991 would have been recorded by the write-in facility under the category 'other relative'.
	The ethnic group question was much expanded and included: specific response categories for 'British' and 'Irish' under the 'White' heading; three specific response tick-boxes under a new 'Mixed' heading; and write-in categories under each of the main headings.
	The questions on educational and professional qualification were also expanded to include several specific tick-box categories rather than write-in responses.
	Some slight changes were also made to the response categories in the questions on Marital status, Students term-time address, Usual address one year ago, Economic activity in the week before the census. Type of accommodation.
	 2011
	The proposals for the 2011 Census have not yet been approved by Parliament. The draft Census Order which contains details of the questions to be asked in the 2011 Census is scheduled be laid before Parliament in October. The proposals for questions for the 2011 Census were set out in the White Paper Helping to shape tomorrow (Cm 7513) published and laid before Parliament on 11 December 2008, and which is available on the ONS website at:-
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-project/legislation/index.html
	The White Paper proposes new questions on Type of central heating, Number of bedrooms, National identity, Type of passport held, Date of entry into the UK and Intended length of stay (for non-UK born). Language and Second residence.
	You may also be interested to see the questionnaire to be used for the 2009 Census Rehearsal on 11 October which is available on the ONS website at:-
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/census/2011-census/2011-census-questionnaire-content/2009-rehearsal-questionnaire/index.html
	If you would like a paper copy of the 1991 Census and 2001 Census questionnaires we would be happy to send them to you.

Death: Drugs

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths attributed to the use of each illegal drug there have been in each region in each year since 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jill Matheson, dated 8 September 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many deaths attributed to the use of each illegal drug there have been in each region in each year since 2000. (290826)
	Drugs classified under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971) are termed 'controlled substances', and unlawful possession of a controlled substance is illegal, as is possession with intent to supply. Lawful possession of a controlled substance would include when the drug was in the possession of a person it had been prescribed to. It is not possible to ascertain from information collected at death certification whether a drug was obtained lawfully or not.
	The table attached provides the total number of drug misuse deaths, and the number of drug misuse deaths where selected controlled substances were mentioned on the death certificate, in each government office region in England from 2000 to 2008 (the latest year available).
	There are over 400 controlled substances listed under the Misuse of Drugs Act (1971). Figures have been provided for those substances, or categories of substances, most commonly associated with drug misuse deaths.
	
		
			  Table 1. Numbers of deaths related to drug misuse,( 1)  and numbers of deaths related to drug misuse where selected controlled substances were mentioned on the death certificate,( 2,3,4,5)  government, office regions in England,( 6)  2000-08( 7) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 North East Deaths related to drug misuse 64 108 108 76 83 90 95 91 104 
			  Heroin and Morphine 40 73 67 42 36 44 42 29 47 
			  Methadone 6 5 7 10 17 28 17 29 32 
			  Cocaine 3 3 5 5 6 10 14 10 11 
			  All amphetamines 2 6 10 7 3 7 8 9 6 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 0 6 9 7 1 5 5 4 4 
			  Cannabis 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 
			  All benzodiazepines 20 27 39 30 36 22 21 29 33 
			
			 North West Deaths related to drug misuse 253 288 235 214 218 226 269 225 307 
			  Heroin and Morphine 135 160 126 92 101 106 105 120 148 
			  Methadone 70 57 45 53 47 43 54 57 83 
			  Cocaine 11 14 19 21 26 26 34 30 43 
			  All amphetamines 11 11 17 10 14 18 18 21 20 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 4 6 6 5 6 10 7 9 7 
			  Cannabis 0 2 0 3 4 5 6 4 5 
			  All benzodiazepines 20 40 52 46 42 34 40 21 33 
			
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Deaths related to drug misuse 192 198 195 181 198 189 182 168 166 
			  Heroin and Morphine 137 130 125 117 118 120 101 96 102 
			  Methadone 20 14 19 19 27 21 22 37 43 
			  Cocaine 6 5 14 16 23 29 24 17 19 
			  All amphetamines 14 10 14 12 18 17 17 13 13 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 4 6 8 3 10 11 6 8 3 
			  Cannabis 2 1 2 2 1 0 2 1 1 
			  All benzodiazepines 21 22 21 23 37 14 15 21 25 
			
			 East Midlands Deaths related to drug misuse 98 106 123 96 109 93 95 110 111 
			  Heroin and Morphine 58 71 77 57 62 54 53 65 60 
			  Methadone 11 11 10 16 14 19 13 25 20 
			  Cocaine 2 7 6 9 11 6 5 4 9 
			  All amphetamines 3 7 10 6 8 7 6 7 9 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 1 6 3 1 4 1 5 2 4 
			  Cannabis 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 
			  All benzodiazepines 12 20 11 11 18 8 8 17 12 
			 West Midlands Deaths related to drug misuse 138 137 128 124 133 148 134 157 155 
			  Heroin and Morphine 81 86 76 71 65 82 72 78 85 
			  Methadone 26 16 15 15 21 15 19 32 35 
			  Cocaine 9 4 12 5 4 9 15 12 20 
			  All amphetamines 3 5 3 5 2 10 1 11 3 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 2 2 2 4 1 8 0 6 1 
			  Cannabis 0 0 2 0 1 3 2 1 0 
			  All benzodiazepines 23 24 28 17 13 23 13 27 19 
			
			 East of England Deaths related to drug misuse 133 146 147 116 126 139 99 129 161 
			  Heroin and Morphine 70 80 82 48 50 65 46 67 76 
			  Methadone 27 25 16 17 21 19 17 30 39 
			  Cocaine 5 7 14 11 17 14 10 14 19 
			  All amphetamines 2 9 5 3 6 8 2 5 7 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 1 7 4 2 2 2 1 3 2 
			  Cannabis 0 4 1 0 1 0 1 0 5 
			  All benzodiazepines 12 12 20 17 15 17 8 17 21 
			
			 London Deaths related to drug misuse 257 279 193 182 177 235 230 202 203 
			  Heroin and Morphine 69 84 57 54 51 68 52 69 52 
			  Methadone 46 44 34 17 26 20 39 30 26 
			  Cocaine 30 35 29 29 30 43 38 60 54 
			  All amphetamines 8 8 10 8 9 9 8 11 12 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 7 8 6 7 8 8 5 6 8 
			  Cannabis 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 
			  All benzodiazepines 22 18 10 7 5 12 8 7 8 
			
			 South East Deaths related to drug misuse 233 253 223 180 227 229 211 222 209 
			  Heroin and Morphine 123 140 121 86 136 136 98 127 134 
			  Methadone 43 40 26 30 27 30 29 40 37 
			  Cocaine 10 8 17 14 23 21 31 25 39 
			  All amphetamines 7 10 12 9 10 13 16 10 11 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 5 6 8 8 4 6 9 6 5 
			  Cannabis 5 4 5 2 6 10 5 5 5 
			  All benzodiazepines 42 42 31 30 33 39 28 33 32 
			
			 South West Deaths related to drug misuse 142 182 153 143 144 157 154 175 201 
			  Heroin and Morphine 91 106 81 79 89 108 84 116 126 
			  Methadone 8 17 19 12 16 14 19 25 40 
			  Cocaine 3 7 3 9 6 6 9 8 11 
			  All amphetamines 3 6 7 6 2 7 8 5 13 
			  MDMA/Ecstasy 1 5 5 3 2 3 5 0 7 
			  Cannabis 0 0 1 0 3 0 1 0 1 
			  All benzodiazepines 17 17 16 17 19 7 18 16 16 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for the year 2000, and the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) from 2001 onwards. Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning (shown in Box 1 following) and where a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death certificate. (2) Some deaths may be counted in more than one category. For example if heroin and cocaine are recorded on the death certificate, the death would be counted once under each substance. Where more than one drug is mentioned on the death certificate, it is not possible to tell which was primarily responsible for the death. (3) Heroin breaks down in the body to morphine, and the latter may be detected at post mortem and recorded on the death certificate. Therefore, a combined figure for deaths where heroin or morphine was mentioned on the death certificate is given. (4) The figures for deaths associated with cocaine include those associated with crack cocaine. (5) The figure for all amphetamines includes deaths mentioning MDMA/Ecstasy. (6) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (7) Figures for deaths registered in 2008 are provisional. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box l 
			  Description  ICD-9  ICD-10 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) 292, 304, 305.2-305.9 F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances E850-E858 X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances E950.0-E950.5 X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances E962.0 X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent E980.0-E980.5 Y10-Y14

Departmental Information and Communications Technology

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to page 204 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts 2008-09, HC 442, which information technology project was terminated; what the purpose was of that project; for what reasons that projects was terminated; and what her latest estimate is of the cost to the public purse of that project.

Tessa Jowell: The section of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts 2008-09 referred to relates to the SCOPE Programme.
	With regards to the purpose of the SCOPE Programme and the reasons for the termination of the SCOPE Phase 2 supply contract, I have nothing further to add to my written ministerial statement of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 41WS.
	In respect of information requested concerning the costs associated with the programme, I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member for Westbury (Dr. Murrison) on 20 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1358W.

Employment

James Clappison: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many and what proportion of  (a) UK nationals,  (b) UK-born people,  (c) foreign nationals,  (d) non-UK EU nationals,  (e) EU A8 nationals and  (f) non-EU nationals (i) aged over 16 and (ii) of working age were in employment in the UK in each of the last 12 quarters for which figures are available; and what the percentage change in each category was in each of the last four quarters.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 8 September 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many and what proportion of (a) UK nationals, (b) UK-born people, (c) foreign nationals, (d) non-UK EU nationals, (e) EU A8 nationals and (f) non-EU nationals (i) aged over 16 and (ii) of working age were in employment in the UK in each of the last 12 quarters for which figures are available; and what the percentage change in each category was in each of the last four quarters. 290846
	The available information requested is shown in the attached tables. The estimates are derived from the Labour Force Survey. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.
	The figures in the table are derived from the LFS microdata which are weighted using the official population estimates published in autumn 2007. They are not entirely consistent with the figures published in the monthly Labour Market Statistics Statistical Bulletin, which is weighted using more up-to-date population estimates.
	
		
			  Employment levels and rates of people of working age( 1)  in employment by nationality and country of birth, three month periods ending, March, June, September and December, 2006 to 2009, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousands 
			UK nationals  UK born  Foreign nationals 
			Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter 
			 2006 Q3 26,085 75 - 24,849 76 - 1,913 69 - 
			  Q4 25,991 75 - 24,744 75 - 1,962 69 - 
			
			 2007 Q1 25,794 75 - 24,067 74 - 1,978 67 - 
			  Q2 25,784 74 - 24,508 74 - 2,103 68 - 
			  Q3 26,023 74 - 24,694 74 - 2,113 69 - 
			  Q4 26,050 74 - 24,718 74 - 2,173 68 - 
			
			 2008 Q1 25,870 74 - 24,547 74 - 2,254 69 - 
			  Q2 25,882 74 - 24,532 74 - 2,266 69 - 
			  Q3 25,928 74 0 24,580 74 0 2,279 69 1 
			  Q4 25,749 74 -1 24,372 74 -1 2,342 69 3 
			
			 2009 Q1 25,454 74 -1 24,067 74 -1 2,313 69 -1 
			  Q2(3) *25,227 73 -1 *23,881 73 -1 *2,268 67 -2 
		
	
	
		
			Non-UK EU nationals  EU A8 nationals( 2)  Non-EU nationals 
			Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter 
			 2006 Q3 753 77 - 297 82 - 1,160 -  
			  Q4 828 77 - 344 82 - 1,134 64 - 
			
			 2007 Q1 897 77 - 368 81 - 1,080 60 - 
			  Q2 969 77 - 431 82 - 1,134 62 - 
			  Q3 969 78 - 430 84 - 1,144 62 - 
			  Q4 1,010 79 - 469 84 - 1,163 61 - 
			
			 2008 Q1 1,068 79 - 500 83 - 1,186 62 - 
			  Q2 1,085 79 - 498 84 - 1,201 62 - 
			  Q3 1,045 79 -2 504 84 1 1,234 63 3 
			  Q4 1,052 77 1 470 81 -7 1,290 63 5 
			
			 2009 Q1 1,097 78 4 500 83 7 1,215 62 -6 
			  Q2(3) *1,078 77 -2 **500 82 0 *1,190 60 -2 
			  Source:  Labour Force Survey 
		
	
	
		
			  Employment levels and rates of people aged 16 and over in employment by nationality and country of birth, three month periods ending, March, June, September and December, 2006 to 2009, United Kingdom, not seasonally adjusted 
			  Thousands 
			UK nationals  UK born  Foreign nationals 
			Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter 
			 2006 Q3 27,217 60 - 25,919 60 - 1,958 63 - 
			  Q4 27,142 60 - 25,830 60 - 2,008 62 - 
			
			 2007 Q1 26,953 60 - 25,622 60 - 2,021 61 - 
			  Q2 26,949 60 - 25,616 60 - 2,143 62 - 
			  Q3 27,219 60 - 25,825 60 - 2,152 63 - 
			  Q4 27,271 60 - 25,878 60 - 2,208 63 - 
			
			 20008 Q1 27,141 60 - 25,75560 -  2,290 64 - 
			  Q2 27,167 60 - 25,759 60 - 2,304 83 - 
			  Q3 27,203 60 0 25,799 60 0 2,323 64 1 
			  Q4 27,050 59 -1 25,612 60 -1 2,385 64 3 
			
			 2009 Q1 26,763 59 -1 25,308 59 -1 2,357 63 -1 
			  Q2(3) *26,552 58 -1 *25,130 58 -1 *2,315 83 -2 
		
	
	
		
			Non-UK EU nationals  EU A8 nationals( 2)  Non-EU nationals 
			Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter  Number  Rate  % change from previous quarter 
			 2006 Q3 776 65 - 297 79 - 1,182 62 - 
			  Q4 856 66 - 345 80 - 1,152 60 - 
			
			 2007 Q1 992 67 - 370 80 - 1,098 57 - 
			  Q2 989 68 - 431 81 - 1,154 58 - 
			  Q3 991 69 - 430 82 - 1,161 59 - 
			  Q4 1,029 79 - 469 83 - 1,180 58 - 
			
			 20008 Q1 1,087 70 - 500 82 - 1,203 59 - 
			  Q2 1,085 70 - 499 83 - 1,219 58 - 
			  Q3 1,070 70 -1 504 83 1 1,253 59 3 
			  Q4 1,077 69 1 470 80 -7 1,308 60 4 
			
			 2009 Q1 1,122 69 4 500 81 7 1,236 59 -6 
			  Q2(3) *1,107 68-1  **501 81 0 *1,208 57 -2 
			 (1 )Men aged 16 to 64 and women aged 16 to 59. (2 )EU A8 comprises Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. (3 )Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates, as described below:  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV≤ 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV ≤ 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV ≤ 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Note:  It should be noted that the above estimates exclude people in most types of communal establishment (e.g. hotels, boarding houses, hostels, mobile home sites etc.).  Source: Labour Force Survey

Government Departments: Buildings

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to page 191 of the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts 2008-09, HC 442, which Whitehall properties have been refurbished in the last 24 months.

Angela Smith: In the last 24 months the Cabinet Office has carried out refurbishment works on 70 Whitehall and the Downing street estate.

Lobbying

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Pendle of 22 April 2009,  Official Report, column 694W, on lobbying, which interested parties the Government has consulted; and when the Government plan to respond to the report;
	(2)  what progress has been made in the Government's review of lobbying; when she plans to respond to the First Report of the Public Administration Committee of Session 2008-09 on Lobbying: access and influence in Whitehall; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: The Government have consulted a range of interested parties, including practitioners and policy makers in the lobbying industry, the voluntary and charitable sector and the OECD. The Government plan to respond to the report from the Public Administration Select Committee on lobbying shortly.

New Businesses: Kent

Michael Howard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the rate of business start-ups in Folkestone and Hythe constituency has been in each quarter since January 2005.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated 8 September 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what the business start-up rate in Folkestone and Hythe constituency was in each quarter from January 2005 to the most recent period for which figures are available. (290874).
	Quarterly statistics on business start-ups are not available. Annual statistics on business births, deaths and survival are available from the ONS release on Business Demography at www.statistics.gov.uk. The table below contains the latest statistics available on business births for the constituency of Folkestone and Hythe.
	
		
			  Count of births and active enterprises for 2005-07 
			  Folkestone and Hythe  Active  Births  Rate (percentage) 
			 2005 3,440 455 13.2 
			 2006 3,425 430 12.6 
			 2007 3,595 485 13.5

Third Sector: Stoke on Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what funding her Department has provided to third sector organisations in Stoke-on-Trent in 2009-10; what estimate she has made of the level of take-up of grants by voluntary organisations in Stoke-on-Trent; and if she will make a statement.

Angela Smith: So far in the financial year 2009-10 the Office of the Third Sector has allocated £3.51 million of funding to third sector organisations in Stoke-on-Trent. The following table gives a breakdown of funding by programme. Full details of the programmes listed can be found on the OTS website:
	http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/third_sector.aspx
	As an indication of take up of grants by voluntary organisations in Stoke, in 2008-9, £128,888 was allocated to Stoke-on-Trent through the Grassroots Grants Programme, to be offered as grants of £250-£5,000 to small local organisations. This amount was fully dispersed to these small organisations.
	
		
			  Programme  Amount of funding for 2009-10 in Stoke-on-Trent (£) 
			 Targeted Support Fund 333,722 
			 Community Assets 1.98 million 
			 Grassroots Grants (1)up to 228,226.41 
			 Modernisation Fund (2)2,000 
			 Futurebuilders 575,000 
			 V (3)393,500 
			 Total 3.51 million 
			 (1) This comprises £133,799.66 allocated to grants and up to £94,426.75 in endowment for the year 2009-10.  Note: The Grassroots Grants programme is the only OTS programme that has funding ring fenced by top-tier local authority area. (2) Grants have been provisionally awarded (3) £153,500 of this amount was awarded to an organisation covering Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire more widely.

Unemployment: Kent

Michael Howard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what the  (a) rate and  (b) percentage of youth unemployment in Folkestone and Hythe constituency has been in each quarter since January 2005;
	(2)  what the  (a) rate and  (b) percentage of economic inactivity in Folkestone and Hythe constituency has been in each quarter since January 2005.

Angela Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Jil Matheson, dated  8 September, 2009:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking what the  (a) rate and  (b) percentage of youth unemployment in Folkestone and Hythe constituency was in each quarter from January 2005 to date; and what the  (a) rate and  (b) percentage of economic inactivity in Folkestone and Hythe constituency was in each quarter from January 2005 to date. (290872 and 290873)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment and inactivity statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions.
	However, estimates of unemployment of 18-24 year olds resident in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency are not available. As an alternative in Table 1 we have provided the number and percentage of 18-24 year olds claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in each month since January 2005.
	Table 2 shows the number and percentage of persons of working age who were economically inactive resident in the Folkestone and Hythe parliamentary constituency. The latest period for which data are available is January 2008 to December 2008.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			  Table 1: Number and percentage of persons aged 18-24 claiming  jobseeker's allowance  resident in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency 
			   Number( 1)  Percentage( 2) 
			 January 2005 420 5.6 
			 February 2005 450 6.0 
			 March 2005 475 6.4 
			 April 2005 470 6.3 
			 May 2005 420 5.6 
			 June 2005 400 5.4 
			 July 2005 390 5.3 
			 August 2005 395 5.3 
			 September 2005 430 5.8 
			 October 2005 405 5.5 
			 November 2005 400 5.4 
			 December 2005 425 5.7 
			 January 2006 440 6.0 
			 February 2006 495 6.7 
			 March 2006 480 6.5 
			 April 2006 465 6.3 
			 May 2006 470 6.3 
			 June 2006 480 6.5 
			 July 2006 485 6.6 
			 August 2006 470 6.3 
			 September 2006 490 6.6 
			 October 2006 500 6.7 
			 November 2006 480 6.5 
			 December 2006 495 6.7 
			 January 2007 500 6.7 
			 February 2007 515 6.9 
			 March 2007 525 7.1 
			 April 2007 510 6.9 
			 May 2007 490 6.6 
			 June 2007 445 6.0 
			 July 2007 465 6.3 
			 August 2007 470 6.4 
			 September 2007 425 5.8 
			 October 2007 400 5.4 
			 November 2007 360 4.9 
			 December 2007 355 4.8 
			 January 2008 365 4.9 
			 February 2008 390 5.3 
			 March 2008 385 5.2 
			 April 2008 390 5.3 
			 May 2008 400 5.4 
			 June 2008 375 5.1 
			 July 2008 365 4.9 
			 August 2008 400 5.4 
			 September 2008 415 5.6 
			 October 2008 445 6.0 
			 November 2008 495 6.7 
			 December 2008 545 7.3 
			 January 2009 615 8.3 
			 February 2009 695 9.4 
			 March 2009 720 9.7 
			 April 2009 695 9.4 
			 May 2009 655 8.9 
			 June 2009 620 8.4 
			 July 2009 595 8.0 
			 (1) Figures rounded to nearest five (2) Percentages are calculated using mid-2005 18-24 year old population estimates  Source:  Jobcentre Plus administrative sources 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number and percentage of economically inactive persons of working age( 1)  resident in the Folkestone and Hythe constituency 
			   Number (thousand)  Percentage 
			 12 months ending   
			 December 2005 13 22.5 
			 March 2006 13 22.1 
			 June 2006 12 21.2 
			 September 2006 12 21.1 
			 December 2006 11 20.0 
			 March 2007 10 17.8 
			 June 2007 12 21.0 
			 September 2007 11 19.2 
			 December 2007 9 16.2 
			 March 2008 10 17.0 
			 June 2008 8 14.8 
			 September 2008 10 17.9 
			 December 2008(2) ***12 20.8 
			 (1) Working age is defined as Males aged 16-64, Females aged 16-59 (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below.  Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV-for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5 per cent. we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220.  Key Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 = CV≤ 5 Estimates are considered precise ** 5 = CV ≤ 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 = CV ≤ 20 Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes  Source: Annual Population Survey

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Forests

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much  (a) direct and  (b) indirect funding his Department has allocated for the purpose of reducing levels of deforestation in developing countries in the last five years; and whether projects funded by his Department for such purposes have involved the planting of trees.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not record expenditure on reducing deforestation or on the planting of trees. It uses the two categories of expenditure required by the Development Aid Committee of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): Forestry Policy and Administrative Management; and Forestry Development. Total bilateral expenditure incurred on forests in the last five financial years was:
	£20.0 million in 2003-04;
	£15.8 million in 2004-05;
	£15.5 million in 2005-06;
	£15.6 million in 2006-07; and
	£7.4 million in 2007-08.
	Since 2007-08 the following sums have been committed:
	£10 million to the Congo Basin Forest Fund for start-up activities.
	£50 million to the Congo Basin Forest Fund and £15 million to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility, from the International Window of the Environmental Transformation Fund. In December 2008 it was announced that up to another £100 million would be made available for forests from the Environmental Transformation Fund.
	£5 million for work by the Rights and Resources Initiative over a five-year period to help accelerate forest tenure, policy and market reforms.
	£1.5 million to the National Forest Programme Facility over a three-year period.
	£1.5 million to PROFOR (Programme on Forests of the World Bank) over a three-year period.
	£1 million for work on an Economics of Climate Change Study and work on low carbon development in Brazil, some of which relates to forests.

Iraq: Overseas Aid

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding for aid for Iraq has been  (a) committed and  (b) spent by his Department since 2003.

Michael Foster: The Department for International Development (DFID) publishes future programme allocations and out-turn expenditure figures each year in its Annul Report which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

Sri Lanka: Humanitarian Aid

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his most recent assessment is of the humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Foster: Following the end of the conventional conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and LTTE in May 2009, approximately 270,000 internally displaced people (IDP) are now in camps in the north and east of Sri Lanka. Our humanitarian advisor, based at the British High Commission in Colombo, last visited the camps on 26 August 2009. Conditions in the camps are basic but improving as needs for shelter, food, water and medicine are gradually being met. Access for humanitarian agencies is also improving. However, I remain concerned about: high malnutrition levels among sections of the IDP population, particularly children; the lack of freedom of movement and restrictions put on protection activities, including ensuring the safety of the IDP population; reuniting unaccompanied children with their families; and registration of the population as a whole.
	The recent flooding in some of the camps following heavy rain highlights the importance of safely returning as many people as possible to their homes before the forthcoming monsoon season. I am encouraged that the Government of Sri Lanka has started the process and has so far returned 4,500 people to their communities of origin. However, much more needs to be done if the Government of Sri Lanka is to meet its own target of resettling the bulk of the IDPs before the end of the year.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Religion: Conditions of Employment

Evan Harris: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what her policy is on  (a) whether, in an organisation with a religious ethos, the need of the organisation to maintain such an ethos should constitute a genuine, legitimate and justified occupational requirement to be of a particular religion and  (b) the regard to be had to (i) the nature of the employment, (ii) the qualifications of the employee and (iii) the performance of the employee in the job.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 contain a specific exception to discrimination on grounds of religion which allows an employer with an ethos based on religion or belief to require that an employee be of a particular religion or belief if it is a genuine occupational requirement for that particular job, and it is proportionate to apply the requirement in each case.
	The ethos of the organisation is one factor which employers with a religious ethos take into account. They must also consider the nature of the job or the context in which it is carried out. The qualifications or performance of the employee are not relevant factors when considering whether the requirement to be of a particular religion or belief to do a particular job is genuine or not.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Burma: Political Prisoners

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the imprisonment of Kyaw Khaing in Burma; what discussions he has had with the Burmese government on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are very concerned by reports that National League for Democracy leader Kyaw Khaing was sentenced to a further two year prison term on 14 July 2009. Our ambassador in Rangoon repeatedly raises the need for the release of all political prisoners in Burma with Ministers in the military government. Our embassy in Rangoon continues to enquire about specific cases with political prisoner support networks and those non-governmental organisations concerned with prisoner welfare.
	We take every opportunity, including via the UN human rights bodies, to press the regime to uphold international human rights norms and release political prisoners. Most recently, G8 leaders called for the Burmese regime to release all political prisoners, including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, stating that their continued detention would undermine the credibility of elections planned for 2010.

Cuba: Politics and Government

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the persecution of Christians in Cuba, with particular reference to the case of Pastor Omar Gride Pérez; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Government remain concerned about the human rights situation in Cuba. The Cuban government maintains tight control over its citizens and is generally wary of unofficial, unregistered group meetings. Economic freedoms are limited, political opposition is not tolerated and restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and assembly are common. Unregistered religious groups, such as house churches, are sometimes affected by these restrictions. But as many churches manage to operate within the constraints of the system without harassment, we do not judge that there is systematic repression of Christians or religious freedoms within the country.
	We have been following closely the case of Pastor Omar Gride Pérez-the leader of a self-governing non-denominational church called the 'Apostolic Reformation' who has been detained since May 2008 and was recently sentenced to six years' imprisonment for charges of falsification of documents, and was also evicted from his property. We are concerned by the lack of an independent judiciary in Cuba, and the harsh penalties given for some crimes. We are aware of concerns that his lengthy sentence may be connected to his religious activities and status as an independent church leader.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in June 2009.

Chris Bryant: 86.5 per cent. of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's payments to suppliers were made within 10 days of receipt in June 2009.

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2009,  Official Report, column 947W, on departmental internet, what the  (a) names and  (b) versions are of the web browsers used on the (i) desktop machines and (ii) laptop computers used by his Department's (A) Permanent Under-Secretary, (B) chief information officer, (C) head of communications and (D) head of finance.

Chris Bryant: The desktop machines used by the holders of the four named posts use Internet Explorer 7. Secure laptops to enable remote access to their office accounts also use the same version of web browser.

Departmental Lost Property

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of lost and stolen  (a) electronic data and  (b) paper documents have been recorded by his Department's overseas posts in each of the last three years.

Chris Bryant: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of instances of loss-unauthorised or otherwise-of data overseas. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.

Departmental Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last two years.

Chris Bryant: During 2008 £174,200 was spent on Royal Mail services. During 2009 £69,600 has been spent on Royal Mail services to date.

Departmental Security

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases of deliberate attempts to breach security at his Department's overseas posts have been detected since January 2007; and which posts were affected.

Chris Bryant: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for Departments to confirm information on the number of attempts to breach security overseas. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.

Diplomatic Service: Disciplinary Proceedings

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many employees of UK embassies have  (a) been suspended,  (b) received formal warnings and  (c) been dismissed in the last 12 months; and for what reasons in each case.

Chris Bryant: There are two categories of employees at our Missions abroad, locally engaged staff recruited by the Post and UK based staff who are posted out to Post from the UK. We do not retain figures centrally for locally engaged staff and to provide this information would incur disproportionate cost. The figures for UK based staff are as follows:
	 (a) suspended in the last 12 months-fewer than five cases
	 (b) received formal warnings in the last 12 months-15 cases
	 (c) been dismissed in the last 12 months-fewer than five cases
	As there are fewer than five cases for each category of misconduct, details are not provided to avoid revealing the identity of individuals and on the grounds of personal confidentiality.

Fourth Geneva Convention

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's policy is on individual legal action to achieve compliance with the Fourth Geneva Convention; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The UK has fully implemented the Geneva Conventions through the Geneva Conventions Act of 1957, which includes all the necessary legal provisions to ensure the UK's compliance with the Conventions, including the fourth. It is for individuals to decide what legal action they wish to take in accordance with UK law, and it is not for the Government to comment on such action.

Hamas

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the alleged broadcasting by Hamas of children's television programmes glorifying  (a) terrorism and  (b) attacks on the State of Israel; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: While we do not monitor Hamas broadcasting, we are aware of reports of the use of inflammatory language against Israel in their programming. The UK continues to condemn any actions which incite hatred and violence.

India

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Government of India on the resettlement of members of its Christian community in Orissa.

Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the resettlement of Christian communities with the Indian Government. However the Government welcome the Indian central government's efforts to protect communities, including their efforts to restore law and order and their offer of compensation and assistance to victims of communal violence including in Orissa.
	The EU sent a fact finding mission to Orissa in December 2008, in which a member of our High Commission participated, and reported their concerns to the Indian Government. The question of minority rights in Orissa and other affected states following the violence in 2008 was raised at the last EU-India Human Rights Dialogue meeting in early 2009.
	We will continue to monitor the situation and raise any concerns relating to the human rights of all minorities in India as appropriate.

Iran: China

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he last met representatives of the government of the People's Republic of China to discuss policy towards Iran.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary last met Foreign Minister Yang on 1 February 2009 to discuss Iran. They have spoken on the telephone on the subject a number of times, most recently on 15 July 2009. Senior officials are also in contact.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the killing of two UK citizens working as private security contractors in Iraq by another private security contractor; what restrictions there are upon the recruitment by private security companies of those with diagnosed mental illnesses; what plans the Government have to renew the effectiveness of such restrictions; what guidance his Department has issued to such contractors on their recruitment procedures; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: British consular staff continue to provide assistance to the British nationals involved following a recent incident in Iraq where one British national was killed. The Iraqi authorities are investigating and we remain in close contact with all parties concerned.
	The British nationals involved in the incident mentioned above were not working for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). When private security companies are employed by the FCO in Iraq, our contracts make it very clear what our requirements are for security personnel, both in terms of their individual skills, qualifications and experience, and their health and fitness. The companies are required to ensure that their personnel are fit for the roles required of them. Our contractors are also required to ensure they comply with all appropriate UK health and safety and discrimination legislation. The FCO considers companies' resourcing and recruitment plans and procedures as part of its evaluation of their bids, at the point at which the contracts are competitively tendered. But we ultimately rely on the companies to ensure that these procedures are robustly and consistently applied under the contract, so as to ensure that the calibre of the contracted personnel is maintained. We naturally monitor the implementation of FCO contracts and raise any concerns with the companies concerned.
	There is currently no legislation dealing specifically with the overseas operations of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) registered in or operating from the UK. Recruitment and vetting of personnel by private security companies is currently a matter for the companies concerned. However the Government launched a public consultation in April this year seeking to promote high standards of conduct by PMSCs internationally. Responses to this consultation are currently being analysed.

Iraq: Human Rights

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iraqi Government on the deaths and injuries to protected persons under the Fourth Geneva Convention following the recent attack on Camp Ashraf by Iraqi forces; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Our ambassador in Iraq has written to the Iraqi authorities to ask for a review into the recent events at the camp. Officials from our embassy in Baghdad are continuing to follow developments, and will shortly undertake a further visit to the camp.
	Our view remains that the residents of Camp Ashraf are not entitled to 'protected persons' status as the Fourth Geneva Convention ceased to apply in Iraq after 28 June 2004, following the end of active hostilities and occupation.

Israel: Borders

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he  (a) changed his Department's policy and  (b) took other steps in response to the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in relation to the wall in the Palestinian Occupied Territories.

Ivan Lewis: The UK agrees with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) broad conclusions that building a barrier along the current route, on occupied land, is a clear violation of international law. The Government therefore supported UN General Assembly resolution (ES-10/15) that acknowledged the ICJ's advisory opinion on the legal consequences of the barrier in occupied Palestinian territory.
	While we recognise fully Israel's right to self-defence and agree that if it decides to build a barrier it should be able to do that, we will continue to make clear to Israel, both in private in and in public, that the barrier must be built either on or behind the Green Line.

Kenya

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will issue an apology for the treatment by the British colonial authorities of Kenyan nationals during the 1950s Kenyan emergency; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Government are aware that the events surrounding the period of the Kenyan emergency give rise to strong feelings in Kenya. The emergency period remains a deeply divisive issue in Kenya and one which historians continue to debate. The road to independence in Kenya was marked with considerable suffering on all sides which is deeply regrettable.
	It is important to have open debate about the past. The UK is prepared to contribute to this. Any debate should help address Kenya's current challenges, particularly the importance of reconciliation towards building a stable and prosperous nation.

Libya: Offical Visits

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what ministerial visits to Libya have taken place in the last two years; and what commercial matters were discussed during each such visit.

Chris Bryant: Two Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers visited Libya in 2008-09. My hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), the then Minister of State, visited Libya from 25-26 February 2009. He met with the Libyan Prime Minister, Dr al-Baghdadi al-Mahmudi, Energy Minister, Shurkri Ghanem, Europe Minister, Abdulatti Obidi and the then Head of the Libyan External Intelligence Service, Musa Kusa. During my hon. Friend's visit discussions focused on a range of issues including the stalled investigation into WPC Fletcher's murder, regional security matters, counter terrorism co-operation, the African Union (AU), consular matters, visa arrangements and commercial contracts currently under negotiation.
	My noble Friend, the then Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, also visited Libya for the AU Summit in July 2009. He did not have any formally arranged meetings with members of the Libyan Government. However, Lord Malloch-Brown met briefly with Ali Treiki, the then Libyan Minister for Africa and the UN, and Musa Kusa, the Libyan Minister for Foreign Affairs while attending the opening ceremony of the summit. No commercial matters were discussed.
	There have also been visits to Libya by Ministers from other Government departments: my noble Friend the Minister of State at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, Lord Digby-Jones, in May 2008, and my right hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, South (Dawn Primarolo), the Minister of State at the Department of Health, in November 2008, and my right hon. Friend the Member for Leigh (Andy Burnham), the Secretary of State at the Department of Health, in July 2009.

Lockerbie: Bombings

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government discussed the terms of the United Kingdom's Prisoner Transfer Agreement with Libya with the United States administration; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: The UK and US Governments remained in close contact throughout the negotiation of the UK-Libya Prisoner Transfer Agreement (PTA) and its entry into force. All key ministerial correspondence relating to the negotiation of the PTA was published on 1 September 2009.

Middle East: Peace Negotiations

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the military build-up in southern Lebanon on the Middle East peace process; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701 establishes an area in southern Lebanon free from armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
	The UK believes that UNSCR 1701 is the best way of achieving lasting stability in Lebanon. We are deeply concerned that Hizballah maintains a substantial military capacity. This is a destabilising factor for the whole region. We strongly condemn all violations of UNSCR 1701 and urge its full implementation. We fully support the work of UNIFIL and its continued role in Lebanon.

Morocco: Students

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further steps he plans to take in response to the decision by the government of Morocco to prevent Saharan students from attending a peace-building conference in Oxford in August 2009.

Chris Bryant: Following news of the events in Agadir, our Chargé d'Affairs in Rabat raised our concerns with the Secretaire Generale, head of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He stressed that it was particularly disappointing considering Morocco's otherwise good record of allowing attendance at these types of events. We made it clear the Government were extremely concerned by reports of the use of disproportionate force against the participants on their return home to Layounne. The Sécretaire Générale undertook to look into the matter.
	We have continued to press for an answer and make our concerns known. This has included close co-ordination with the Swedish EU presidency in Morocco and local human rights non-governmental organisations over this matter. I can assure you that our officials in Rabat and London will continue to press the Moroccan authorities for further clarification of the allegations of mistreatment.

Nuclear Weapons

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what means he has considered to achieving the abolition of nuclear weapons.

Ivan Lewis: The Government are committed to a world free of nuclear weapons and are actively working towards achieving this goal. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister set out his vision in 'The Road to 2010 - Addressing the Nuclear Question in the Twenty First Century' earlier this month. In this he outlined a three stage process to enable progress towards this goal. This involves:
	Transparency and control: reducing expansion of nuclear weapon capabilities and enhancing transparency of existing and future capabilities.
	Arms reduction: addressing the challenges and mechanisms through which further multilateral disarmament can occur.
	Steps to zero: creating the security conditions and overcoming technical difficulties related to disarmament.
	We remain fully committed to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty as the best vehicle for achieving this goal.

Pakistan: Armed Conflict

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Pakistani authorities on behalf of  (a) those attacked at Bahmari Wala, Kasur and  (b) other Christians subject to attacks.

Ivan Lewis: We are concerned about reports that members of the Christian community in Bahmari Wala, Pakistan have been attacked. The UK supports freedom of religion and condemns persecution because of faith or beliefs. Incidents such as the attack in Bahmari Wala are an example of the discrimination and violent extremism faced by religious minorities in Pakistan.
	We regularly raise our concerns with the government of Pakistan about the situation of religious minorities, both with our EU partners and bilaterally in London and through our High Commission in Islamabad, and will continue to do so. The most recent EU demarche called upon the government of Pakistan to promote tolerance, to effectively protect freedom of belief and freedom of expression and to reform discriminatory legislation in particular blasphemy laws.
	With regard to the latest incident officials from the High Commission in Islamabad are monitoring developments closely. We note that a compensation package has been announced for those affected by the attack.

Pakistan: Free Trade

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent consideration he has given to the introduction of a free trade agreement between Pakistan and the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	We are keen to see the EU improve economic links with Pakistan. One option would be for the EU and Pakistan to negotiate a free trade agreement. At the recent EU-Pakistan summit, a package of trade measures was agreed which included enhancement of the EU-Pakistan trade dialogue; a commitment for the EU to remove trade obstacles and provide technical assistance; an agreement to review EU-Pakistan co-operation on capacity building; and a commitment to re-examine the GSP+ preferential scheme with a view to possible inclusion of Pakistan.
	These trade measures should help improve economic ties between the EU and Pakistan, and help build the necessary capacity and infrastructure to help Pakistan towards an EU-Pakistan free trade agreement in the longer term.

Palestinians: Israel

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent consideration he has given to his Department's performance on meeting its obligations in respect of the non-recognition of illegal acts under international law, with particular reference to Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Ivan Lewis: The Government take their international and domestic law obligations very seriously. We will continue to make clear to the Israeli Government that all settlement activity is illegal and is a violation of international law. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did so during his meeting with Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak on 6 July 2009 and also in a conversation with his counterpart Avigdor Lieberman on 1 July 2009.

Palestinians: Israel

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Palestinian Authority on recognition of the State of Israel as a Jewish state; what response was received; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We welcome the fact that the Palestinian Authority recognises the state of Israel and is prepared to negotiate a peace deal with it.
	The nature of the state of Israel, and the role that religion plays, is a matter for Israelis, although we would expect Israel to respect the rights of minorities as undertaken in Israel's declaration of independence and basic laws. We welcome the fact that the Israeli Government have not said that Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state should be a precondition for entering negotiations with the Palestinians.
	The UK's position is clear that a comprehensive peace should be based on two states, living side by side within secure and agreed borders based on those of 1967, with Jerusalem as the capital for both states. Such a solution is the only way to do justice to the national aspirations of the Jewish people and of the Palestinians.

Papua: Political Prisoners

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the imprisonment of Papuan democracy activist Buchtar Tabuni; what steps his Department has taken in response to such reports; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Buchtar Tabuni was sentenced to three years' imprisonment for provocation on 3 July 2009. Prosecutors had pressed for a sentence of ten years for treason but this was rejected by the judges.
	Our embassy in Jakarta have been following the trial of Buchtar Tabuni and previously met his lawyers to investigate allegations of physical abuse. They were unable to verify these claims.
	My predecessor, my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Bill Rammell), raised continuing UK parliamentary and public concern at the human rights situation in Papua with Indonesian Foreign Minister Wirajuda when he met him in Jakarta on 10 February 2009 and again at the Asia Europe meeting in Hanoi in May. There is frustration in Papua over poor implementation of the Special Autonomy Law of 2001. However, while problems do remain, it is important to recognise that real improvements have been made in Indonesia's human rights situation in recent years. Our embassy staff make regular visits to Papua to discuss human rights issues with a wide range of interlocutors. The last visit was on 17-18 June 2009.

Peacekeeping Operations: Private Sector

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the Lord Toms of Cheltenham of 5 May 2009,  Official Report,  House of Lords, column WA106, on private military companies, how many personnel of private military companies are operating under contracts with his Department.

Ivan Lewis: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office holds a number of contracts with private military and security companies (PMSCs) to provide services such as close protection, static guarding and police mentoring. We do not hold contracts with individual personnel of those companies nor is there a centrally held record of how many personnel are employed by them providing services to the Government. Additionally a number of overseas posts hold contracts with PMSCs locally. To establish the number of personnel working for the companies operating under contracts with us would therefore be a wide ranging exercise, the cost of which would be disproportionate.

Scotland

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department plans to make a submission to the Scottish Executive's National Conversation consultation on Scotland's constitutional future.

Chris Bryant: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not submitted evidence to the Scottish Government's National Conversation.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Sri Lanka since the end of the conflict in the country; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We are increasingly concerned about the treatment of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Sri Lanka, especially the lack of freedom of movement in the camps and the restrictions put on protection activities, including ensuring the safety of the IDPs, reuniting unaccompanied children with their families and registration of the IDP population as a whole. We also remain concerned at continuing reports of abductions, disappearances, violence and intimidation against the media, all of which appear to affect Tamil communities disproportionately. We continue to raise these issues regularly with the government of Sri Lanka and call upon them to take decisive action to tackle human rights abuses.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Sri Lankan government on the treatment of Tamils in camps; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: We take every available opportunity to urge the Sri Lankan government to ensure the internally displaced persons (IDPs) held in camps in northern Sri Lanka are treated in accordance with international standards. These include providing basic facilities such as food, water, shelter and medicine as well as issues such as freedom of movement, reuniting family members and ensuring the early return of IDPs to their homes.
	My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the humanitarian situation in IDP camps with President Rajapakse on 18 May 2009, as did my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary with Foreign Minister Bogollogama on 5 June 2009. My noble Friend, the then Minister for Africa, Asia and the UN, Lord Malloch-Brown, raised the issue with the Sri Lankan Minister for Trade and External Development when they met on 19 June 2009. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka continues to raise our concerns with the Sri Lankan government at every opportunity.
	I also refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made by the Minister of State, Department for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow, West (Mr. Thomas), on 14 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 12-13WS, which contains further information on the latest humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka.

Sudan: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sudan on the abduction of opposition politicians and activists in that country.

Chris Bryant: The UK regularly raises human rights issues with the Government of Sudan through the European Union, the Assessment and Evaluation Committee, the National Elections Commission and in bilaterals. In particular, we have raised the importance of protecting freedom of expression and the political space for campaigning by all parties in the run up to the elections in 2010.

Sudan: Prisoners

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with  (a) the Irish government and  (b) the Sudanese government on the kidnapping from Northern Darfur of two aid workers from the charity GOAL.

Ivan Lewis: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke with the Irish Foreign Secretary regarding the kidnapping on 14 July 2009. Our Ambassador to Sudan has discussed the issue with the Sudanese Foreign Minister and Minister for Humanitarian Affairs. Our Embassy in Khartoum continues to work closely with Irish officials in Sudan.
	We strongly condemn all acts of violence against aid workers, and call on all parties, including the government of Sudan, to ensure the safety of aid workers in the region.

Thailand: Aviation

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of progress made by the Thai authorities in their inquiry into the September 2007 air crash involving British citizens; and what recent discussions he has had with the Thai authorities on the date of publication of the report on the inquiry.

Chris Bryant: An interim investigation report was published by the Thai authorities in June and we circulated an English translation of this report to the families of those involved in this tragic accident. The final report is in the process of being translated into all the relevant languages, including English. It will then be submitted to the International Civil Aviation Organisation who have 60-days upon receipt to verify the documents. The finalising of the report was delayed following the accident in Koh Samui in August this year in which four British nationals were injured, as the same body is responsible for investigating both incidents. We expect it to be several months before the final report is published.
	Our embassy in Bangkok is monitoring the progress of the investigation and we will alert the hon. Member and the families concerned as soon as the report is made public.

USA: Terrorism

Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the US administration on its designation of Interpal as a global terrorist organisation; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Officials are in ongoing discussions with their US counterparts about how to facilitate legitimate charitable work while protecting against any risk of abuse by terrorist financiers.
	This has included the case of Interpal and its status as a US designated organisation.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the matter of human rights abuses in the Non-Self Governing Territory of Western Sahara related to calls for a referendum is raised with Morocco by EU officials in the next meeting of the sub-committee on Human Rights, Democratisation and Governance.

Ivan Lewis: The UK considers the EU-Morocco Association Agreement Sub Committee on Human Rights, Democratisation and Governance to be an essential element of the EU-Morocco relationship. We have been engaged in the planning for the meeting on 24 July 2009 through our Missions in Rabat and Brussels. The agenda was agreed by member states on 13 July 2009, and will include, among other issues, women's rights, freedom of expression and the rights of detainees. Discussions will not exclude the territory of Western Sahara.
	The EU engages regularly with the Moroccan Government on human rights issues at a local level with our EU colleagues by raising individual cases of concern as appropriate.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that there be a field presence from the Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Western Sahara.

Ivan Lewis: The Government believe that greater openness and transparency on human rights by all the parties would create a significantly better environment for political dialogue between the parties. We support the call by the UN Secretary General, in his latest report, for the parties to remain engaged in a continuous and constructive dialogue with the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and to make progress on the human dimension of the conflict. If, as the result of such dialogue, a mechanism were to be established to allow OHCHR to further add value, for example by assisting and reporting on the situation in Western Sahara, the Government would support it.

WPC Yvonne Fletcher

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received a recent request from members of the family of WPC Yvonne Fletcher for a meeting with Ministers; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Bryant: Although my right hon. Friend, the Foreign Secretary has not received a request, he has offered to meet the family of WPC Fletcher to discuss the Government's efforts to move the investigation forward.
	Libya has accepted responsibility for WPC Fletcher's murder and paid compensation to her family. Despite their promises to do so, and the UK's repeated requests, Libya has not allowed the Metropolitan Police Service to return to Libya to continue the investigation.
	We attach the highest importance to securing Libyan cooperation with the investigation and push this with the Libyan authorities at every available opportunity.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his latest estimate is of the UK's carbon footprint.

Joan Ruddock: The latest estimate for the total carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from the UK is 542.6 Mt in 2007. A provisional estimate for the total CO2 emitted from the UK in 2008 is 531.8 Mt.
	The latest estimate for the total greenhouse gas emissions emitted from the UK is 636.6 Mt in 2007. A provisional estimate for the total greenhouse gas emissions emitted from the UK in 2008 is 623.8 Mt.

Climate Change

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many copies of the departmental pamphlet, The Road to Copenhagen: Taking International Action on Climate Change, have been printed; to whom they have been distributed; what the cost of printing and distribution has been; and what steps he plans to take to promote the proposals in the pamphlet before the Copenhagen summit.

Joan Ruddock: I can confirm that the overall cost of the Road to Copenhagen leaflet was approximately £34,000 exclusive of VAT. This includes design, typesetting, printing and distribution of 46,000 copies. The leaflet is being distributed in hard copy or electronic format to a range of outlets, including educational establishments, public libraries, Citizens Advice bureaux, trade unions, business-related outlets, MPs and other key stakeholders.

Climate Change: South East

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made of the financial effects of climate change at the present rate on  (a) the ceremonial county of Hampshire and  (b) the South East.

Joan Ruddock: In 2005, the regional climate change partnerships working with the UK Climate Impacts Programme published 'Measuring Progress'. The report assessed the impacts of climate change by region including the South East and included some indicative assessments of the impacts on activities from climate change. The Government have now begun the Adaptation Economic Assessment, which will analyse the high level economic costs and benefits of adapting to climate change in the UK. The project will include information by English region, including the South East, but not by individual county boundary. It is due to report in 2012.

Climate Change: South East

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to assist people in the  (a) ceremonial county of Hampshire and  (b) the South East to adapt their domestic circumstances to take account of the effects of climate change.

Joan Ruddock: The aim of the Government's Adapting to Climate Change Programme is to help people adapt to the effects of climate change by providing robust evidence on the effects of climate change and embedding adaptation into policies, plans and programmes. The programme seeks to achieve this by building capacity in organisations who are the most able to take long term adaptation decisions. This includes local government via mechanisms such as National Indicator 188-Planning to Adapt to Climate Change within the local government performance framework to enable them to support individuals to adapt to future climate changes through local programmes.
	On 18 June, the Government published the latest UK Climate Projections. These projections show the potential changes in climate for the UK for a range of probabilities, climate variables and emissions scenarios. These data are freely available to all to make their own assessments of the likely effects of climate change. To support organisations in using the projections, the Government are providing a training package, Projections in Practice from July to March 2010. The programme will include a series of national events for specific sectors and will also include from September a programme of events in each region including the South East. To support adaptation locally and regionally, we have established a local and regional programme managed by a board of key local and regional organisations. The regional climate change partnership, Climate South East, is represented on the board. The board manages a small programme of projects to develop guidance and tools to help local authorities, regional climate change partnerships and others to support communities to take account of the effects of climate change. Further information on the board is located on the Government's Adapting to Climate Change Programme website:
	www.defra.gov.uk/adaptation

Damian McBride

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on what date he last met Mr. Damian McBride in the course of his official duties.

Joan Ruddock: There have been no such meetings.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, column 2142W, on departmental electronic equipment, how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have spent on (i) flat screen televisions, (ii) DVD players and (iii) stereo equipment since November 2008.

Joan Ruddock: The Department has spent £7,289 on flat screen televisions, some of which had built-in DVD players and £68 on stand-alone DVD players. The Department has procured no stereo equipment.
	The Department has no agencies.

Departmental Marketing

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on branding since its establishment.

Joan Ruddock: The information is listed in the following table.
	
		
			   £ 
			 Branding design 38,751.00 
			 Trademarking the brand 14,102.00 
			 Signage 1,910.00

Departmental Postal Services

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department spent on Royal Mail services in each of the last five years.

Joan Ruddock: The information is as follows.
	1. The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) came into existence on 3 October 2008. The Department has spent £404.90 directly with the Royal Mail since then. General postal services have largely been provided through shared services arrangements with DEFRA and BERR (now BIS). We cannot separately identify the proportion of payments for those shared services that were ultimately payable to Royal Mail.
	2. DECC ceased using BIS to provide these services in June 2009. However, these arrangements are still continuing with DEFRA and we are in a process of setting up a separate DECC account with Royal Mail.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework since it was created.

Joan Ruddock: Between September 2008 and March 2009 DECC spent approximately £101,000 through public relations and events management agencies on COI's rosters. The figures include all PR expenditure incurred by the department on the ACT ON CO2 campaign, including media relations activity and the running of a series of regional roadshows.

Departmental Public Relations

Nick Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 23 February 2009,  Official Report, column 297W, on departmental public relations, which companies were contracted; for what purpose each contract was let to each company; and how much was paid to each company in respect of each contract.

Joan Ruddock: The Department has spent the following amounts in 2008-09.
	£101,000 to Munro and Forster and TRO (through COI agency rosters). The figure includes all PR expenditure incurred by the department on the ACT ON CO2 campaign, including media relations activity and the running of a series of regional roadshows. We are considering our campaign plans for the rest of 2009-10.
	£100,229.99 to Kreab Gavin Anderson who are contracted, through a consultancy tender, to provide expert advice and support on the renewable energy finance community including on the impact of proposed measures on renewable finance and investment prospects. As part of this contract they also support the department's work by arranging seminars, meetings with investors, and wider awareness raising with investors and media on developments in renewable energy policy.
	All figures are rounded up and exclusive of VAT.

Departmental Travel

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on  (a) ministerial cars and drivers,  (b) taxis,  (c) train travel,  (d) the use of helicopters,  (e) airline tickets and  (f) chartered aeroplanes since its establishment.

Joan Ruddock: DECC has spent the following since its inception:  (a) ministerial cars and drivers £166,305;  (b) taxis for the whole Department £202,249;  (c) train travel for the whole Department £557,637; and  (e) air fares for the whole Department £1,179,390. The Department is not able to separately identify the use of helicopters or chartered aircraft except at disproportionate cost.

Energy: Conservation

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the Association for the Conservation of Energy as part of the preparation of the White Paper on low carbon energy strategies.

Joan Ruddock: DECC Ministers and officials have regular discussions with the Association for the Conservation of Energy on a broad range of issues relating to energy efficiency and fuel poverty.

Energy: Prices

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with energy suppliers on the effects of increases in energy prices on small and medium-sized businesses.

Joan Ruddock: The Government are keenly aware of the impacts on businesses of changing energy costs. DECC Ministers and officials have frequent discussions with energy suppliers and their representatives about energy prices and other factors affecting business and household consumers.
	Ofgem has recently published proposals for measures to improve the functioning of the supply markets for small businesses.

Energy: Prices

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with business representatives on the effects of increases in energy prices on small and medium-sized businesses.

Joan Ruddock: Regular discussions are held with business representatives on energy price issues relevant to all sizes of businesses. These include the Business Energy Forum, jointly chaired by the Secretary of State and the Director General of the CBI. In addition there are ad hoc meetings with individual business organisations.

Energy: Prices

Chris McCafferty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the average price of energy supply for small and medium-sized businesses in each year since 2004-05.

Joan Ruddock: The Department does not hold any data on electricity prices paid by small or medium-sized businesses. Data on prices are collected based on energy consumption levels, which do not always correspond to business size. Energy expenditure as a share of turnover varies widely, from around 1 per cent. to over 20 per cent. depending upon the nature of the business.
	Annual energy prices for industrial consumers by consumption band are published quarterly in table 3.1.1 of Quarterly Energy Prices, with annual data shown in Table 3.1.3. The latest edition of Quarterly Energy Prices was published in June 2009 and is available online at:
	http://decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/publications/prices/prices.aspx

Forestry

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the definition of  (a) forestry investment and  (b) sustainable forestry management was as contained in the declaration on international climate negotiations at the UK-French summit in Evian on 6 July 2009.

Joan Ruddock: holding answer 21 July 2009
	There are no internationally agreed definitions of the terms forestry investment and sustainable forest management. The UK's understanding of the meaning of forestry investment in the UK-French declaration on international climate negotiations is the use of resources to support forest activities which help to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation or conserve, maintain or enhance forest carbon stocks, and which generate a return. The returns could provide important stimuli for low carbon development in developing countries, such as local employment opportunities. In this context, sustainable forest management means forest activities which support the long-term maintenance of forest carbon stocks.

Glasgow

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to visit Glasgow on official business during the summer adjournment.

Joan Ruddock: There are currently no such plans.

Heating: Fuels

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has to assist domestic users of heating fuels to replace existing heating systems with renewable alternatives; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: The Low Carbon Buildings Programme (LCBP) is the Government's £131 million capital grant programme, offering capital funds for small scale onsite energy technologies to householders, public, community and the not-for-profit sector. The Programme was initiated in 2006 and for householders, £46 million (of the £131 million) has been made available. To date over 10,000 householder projects have been supported across the UK of which 8,900 are for heat generation.
	This programme will be phased out to coincide with the introduction of Clean Energy Cashbacks (FITs) for energy generation in April 2010 and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), for heat generation, in April 2011
	The Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which the Government have committed to introducing from April 2011, will provide financial support in order to encourage the uptake of renewable heat at all scales, from domestic use to large scale industrial generation. We intend to publish a consultation document setting out the details of the RHI towards the end of this year.

Insulation: Housing

Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the level of uptake of home insulation programmes delivered through commercial energy suppliers; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ruddock: Energy supply companies are obligated to provide energy efficiency measures, including insulation, to households via the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT) which runs from March 2008 to March 2011.
	Ofgem administer the scheme and report to DECC annually on progress. Ofgem's review of the first year of CERT states that between April 2008 and March 2009 suppliers funded a total of 1,243,573 insulation measures. Of this total 545,594 were cavity wall jobs, 689,353 were loft insulation, and 8,626 were solid wall (Additional insulation has been delivered through CERT funded DIY, however as this information is commercial in confidence it will only be published at the end of the scheme).
	CERT is the continuation of a series of successful energy efficiency programmes which delivered over 900,000 insulation measures 2002-2005 and over 2.6m measures 2005-08.

International Parliamentary Conference on Climate Change

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contribution his Department made to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association's Second International Parliamentary Conference on Climate Change.

Joan Ruddock: I participated in a session on international climate change on 8 July. An official from the Department took part in the discussion on Technology Development and Transfer: Current Proposals and Persistent Challenges on Tuesday 7 July.

Office for Renewable Energy Development

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change for what expenditure under each budget heading the budget of the Office for Renewable Energy Development for 2009-10 provides; and how many staff that office employs.

Joan Ruddock: The Office for Renewable Energy Deployment (ORED) was launched on 15 July 2009. ORED's mission is to accelerate the deployment of renewable energy in order to reduce carbon emissions, increase security of supply and create business opportunities in the UK.
	As of August 2009 ORED employed 85 staff. The budgets available to ORED, including funding allocated to low carbon investment in Budget 2009, are as set out in the following table. In addition, ORED will also be delivering projects funded from the Strategic Investment Fund managed by BIS; this additional funding amounts to up to £135.5 million over the next two years.
	
		
			  ORED Budgets 
			  £ million 
			   2009-10  2010-11 
			 Administration 7.1 5.8 
			 Programme 13.6 8.9 
			 Capital 38.3 61.2 
			 Total 59.0 75.9

Plutonium: Exports

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what quantities of safeguarded plutonium have been exported since July 2008; and for what purpose.

David Kidney: There have been two exports of material containing small amounts of safeguarded plutonium since July 2008. Both were delivered to consignees in Sweden. The first shipment, in April 2009, was Intermediate Level Waste containing approximately 5g of plutonium. The waste was returned to Sweden as part of contracted work to reprocess spent nuclear fuel at Sellafield from Sweden's R1 research reactor. The second shipment, in June 2009, was a container of 46 irradiated Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR) fuel pins containing less than 400 g of plutonium. This material will be returned to the UK following analytical examination.

Renewable Energy

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the size is of the fund established for the clean energy cash-back scheme announced in the UK Low Carbon Transition Plan; and from which heading of his Department's budget the payments will be drawn.

Joan Ruddock: The clean energy cash back scheme comprises two policies, the Feed-In Tariffs (FITs) for small scale low-carbon electricity, which will take effect from April 2010, and the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI), which will be implemented in 2011.
	We are currently consulting on the detail of the FITs scheme. We do not propose to set limits on the total amount of funding available from the scheme. Payments to generators under the scheme will not be made from the Department's budget, but from electricity suppliers.
	Powers were taken in the Energy Act 2008 which allow the RHI to be funded through a levy on fossil fuel suppliers. We will be consulting on the detail of the RHI later in 2009.

Renewable Energy: Coventry

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps his Department has taken to assist research into green technology in Coventry.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The Technology Strategy Board currently supports 35 collaborative RD projects that have a focus on green technologies and where each includes at least one participant from the Coventry postcode area. The total project costs are £85.6 million (£22.2 million for Coventry participants) with the Technology Strategy Board providing grant support of £41.8 million (£11.1 million for Coventry participants).
	The Research Councils currently support 16 energy research projects in the Coventry postcode area that have a focus on green technologies. These have a total grant value of £4.7 million. The Research Councils also support one programme in plasma physics to the value of £5 million, one SUPERGEN consortium looking at excitonic solar cells to the value of £3.4 million, and two other general research projects that have a focus on green technologies to the value of £700,000.
	The Department has also helped fund green technology initiatives through Advantage West Midlands (AWM).
	A Hydrogen Energy Project-a collaboration between the University of Birmingham and the University of Warwick-is being delivered by the Birmingham Science City initiative and has received £ 10.5 million funding from AWM.
	AWM is also about to launch the Renewable Energies Supply Chain Opportunities (RESCO) programme. Delivered by Staffordshire University, RESCO is designed to support companies in the supply chains of renewable energies. The £1.4 million project is targeted at the whole of the West Midlands but a significant strand of activity will take place in Coventry.
	AWM also fund several projects that are led by Coventry centres to support the development of low carbon vehicles. These have total project costs of £37.2 million and AWM funding of £19.7 million.

HEALTH

Cervical Cancer: Screening

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether his Department has plans to keep under review its policy on the age at which cervical screening should begin;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to  (a) commission and  (b) evaluate new research to compare the incidence of cervical (i) abnormalities and (ii) cancer in the 20 to 24 year and 25 to 29 years age groups.

Mike O'Brien: The cervical screening age range will be a standing item on the agenda of meetings of the independent Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening, which reviews all new research to assess its significance to the cervical screening programme. NHS Cancer Screening programmes maintain an on-line database of literature relating to cervical screening, and publish Cervical Screening: Literature Update twice a year. If further evidence is published that warrants another formal review of the screening age range, this will be done.
	With regard to new research, cervical screening rates will continue to be monitored by the National Cancer Intelligence Network and the Cancer Research UK Centre for Epidemiology, Mathematics and Statistics. This includes monitoring cervical abnormalities and cancer in the 20 to 24 year and 25 to 29 year age groups.

Continuing Care

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people  (a) in total and  (b) per 50,000 of population received continuing care in each primary care trust area in England in each quarter of 2008.

Mike O'Brien: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number receiving national health service continuing care in total and per 50,000 population, England, 2008-09 
			Number receiving NHS continuing care  Number per 50,000 population 
			  Org code  Org name  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4  Q1  Q2  Q3  Q4 
			  England 37,920 40,449 43,455 46,599 37.5 40.0 42.7 45.8 
			   
			 5HG Ashton, Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust (PCT) 518 638 596 537 85.9 105.8 98.8 89.0 
			 5C2 Barking and Dagenham PCT 285 271 286 309 86.8 82.5 86.5 93.5 
			 5A9 Barnet PCT 363 404 424 539 54.9 61.1 64.0 81.3 
			 5JE Barnsley PCT 70 78 99 143 15.2 16.9 21.4 30.9 
			 5ET Bassetlaw PCT 38 38 24 41 17.9 17.9 11.3 19.2 
			 5FL Bath and North East Somerset PCT 234 298 212 240 63.8 81.3 57.0 64.5 
			 5P2 Bedfordshire PCT 151 152 175 246 18.5 18.7 21.3 29.9 
			 5QG Berkshire East PCT 535 557 277 238 70.4 73.3 36.0 31.0 
			 5QF Berkshire West PCT 186 157 239 223 20.7 17.5 26.3 24.5 
			 TAK Bexley Care Trust 155 158 165 430 36.9 37.6 39.1 102.0 
			 5PG Birmingham East and North PCT 220 263 220 267 27.8 33.2 27.6 33.5 
			 5CC Blackburn with Darwen PCT 46 75 74 68 15.2 24.8 24.5 22.5 
			 5HP Blackpool PCT 230 85 92 95 81.9 30.3 32.8 33.9 
			 5HQ Bolton PCT 175 218 245 265 33.3 41.5 46.7 50.5 
			 5QN Bournemouth and Poole PCT 418 352 349 811 65.8 55.4 54.3 126.2 
			 5NY Bradford and Airedale PCT 328 464 532 623 33.2 47.0 53.5 62.6 
			 5K5 Brent PCT 344 330 343 385 61.2 58.7 61.3 68.8 
			 5LQ Brighton and Hove City PCT 154 146 183 188 30.0 28.4 35.3 36.3 
			 5QJ Bristol PCT 295 266 278 323 34.9 31.5 32.5 37.7 
			 5A7 Bromley PCT 173 210 231 238 28.7 34.8 38.1 39,2 
			 5QD Buckinghamshire PCT 375 387 380 423 38.0 39.2 38.3 42.*6 
			 5JX Bury PCT 42 51 56 70 11.6 14.1 15.4 19.2 
			 5J6 Calderdale PCT 179 234 222 254 45.0 58.8 55.4 63.4 
			 5PP Cambridgeshire PCT 387 489 590 672 34.0 42.9 51.1 58.2 
			 5K7 Camden PCT 115 131 132 163 25.0 28.5 28.4 35.1 
			 5NP Central and Eastern Cheshire PCT 293 352 431 475 33.0 39.7 48.3 53.3 
			 5NG Central Lancashire PCT 288 267 280 280 32.9 30.5 31.9 31.9 
			 5C3 City and Hackney PCT 218 230 183 189 49.1 51.8 41.5 42.9 
			 5QP Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly PCT 684 664 692 670 65.7 63.8 65.8 63.7 
			 5ND County Durham PCT 575 643 643 547 56.9 63.6 63.1 63.5 
			 5MD Coventry PCT 449 362 379 357 69.6 56.1 58.7 55.3 
			 5K9 Croydon PCT 311 353 326 315 46.8 53.1 48.6 47.0 
			 5NE Cumbria PCT 142 142 169 166 14.2 14.2 16.8 16.5 
			 5J9 Darlington PCT 120 133 125 165 61.5 68.2 63.6 84.0 
			 5N7 Derby City PCT 248 268 328 329 46.1 49.8 60.5 60.7 
			 5N6 Derbyshire County PCT 816 882 947 796 59.2 63.9 68.4 57.5 
			 5QQ Devon PCT 989 924 787 771 68.4 63.9 53.7 52.6 
			 5N5 Doncaster PCT 410 326 342 356 70.1 55.7 58.3 60.7 
			 5QM Dorset PCT 539 640 480 547 71.1 84.4 62.8 71.5 
			 5PE Dudley PCT 214 214 386 271 35.5 35.5 64.1 45.0 
			 5HX Ealing PCT 85 184 180 168 13.3 28.8 28.1 26.2 
			 5P3 East and North Hertfordshire PCT 211 203 196 219 19.3 18.6 17.8 19.9 
			 5NH East Lancashire PCT 190 211 217 251 25.4 28.2 29.0 33.5 
			 5NW East Riding of Yorkshire PCT 86 106 103 136 14.2 17.5 16.9 22.3 
			 5P7 East Sussex Downs and Weald PCT 181 245 374 261 27.8 37.7 57.2 39.9 
			 5QA Eastern and Coastal Kent PCT 406 406 453 423 28.6 28.6 31.6 29.5 
			 5C1 Enfield PCT 239 236 274 185 44.7 44.1 51.1 34.5 
			 5KF Gateshead PCT 93 101 100 127 23.9 26.0 25.8 32.7 
			 5QH Gloucestershire PCT 280 359 399 416 24.3 31.2 34.5 35.9 
			 5PR Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT 86 88 86 103 19.6 20.0 19.5 23.3 
			 5A8 Greenwich PCT 147 144 136 133 31.9 31.3 29.5 28.9 
			 5NM Halton and St. Helens PCT 326 392 535 610 53.6 64.4 87.9 100.3 
			 5H1 Hammersmith and Fulham PCT 200 167 57 220 59.0 49.3 16.8 64.7 
			 5QC Hampshire PCT 1,940 1,435 1,328 2,205 79.2 58.6 53.7 89.2 
			 5C9 Haringey PCT 238 208 250 250 50.1 43.8 52.0 52.0 
			 5K6 Harrow PCT 320 344 344 200 80.7 86.7 86.6 50.4 
			 5D9 Hartlepool PCT 125 115 113 102 68.8 63.3 62.0 56.0 
			 5P8 Hastings and Rother PCT 155 81 115 87 45.4 23.7 33.5 25.4 
			 5A4 Havering PCT 318 241 238 262 67.4 51.1 50.2 55.2 
			 5MX Heart of Birmingham PCT 57 72 94 83 10.1 12.8 16.7 14.7 
			 5CN Herefordshire PCT 218 233 332 256 62.5 66.8 95.0 73.2 
			 5NQ Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale PCT 139 98 109 110 34.0 24.0 26.7 27.0 
			 5AT Hillingdon PCT 376 351 294 281 78.3 73.1 61.2 58.5 
			 5HY Hounslow PCT 292 142 177 160 66.3 32.2 40.1 36.2 
			 5NX Hull PCT 65 93 103 140 11.6 16.7 18.4 25.0 
			 5QT Isle of Wight NHS PCT 253 262 275 281 92.3 95.6 99.6 101.8 
			 5K8 Islington PCT 95 121 132 220 25.7 32.7 35.2 58.7 
			 5LA Kensington and Chelsea PCT 205 154 177 190 54.2 40.8 46.5 49.9 
			 5A5 Kingston PCT 83 84 85 113 24.5 24.8 24.7 32.8 
			 5N2 Kirklees PCT 299 348 314 324 38.4 44.7 40.1 41.3 
			 5J4 Knowsley PCT 148 101 29 178 48.9 33.4 9.6 59.2 
			 5LD Lambeth PCT 176 188 183 368 30.6 32.7 31.6 63.5 
			 5N1 Leeds PCT 784 784 952 906 51.8 51.8 62.1 59.1 
			 5PC Leicester City PCT 162 186 202 213 26.5 30.4 32.7 34.5 
			 5PA Leicestershire County and Rutland PCT 312 440 402 404 24.4 34.4 31.1 31.3 
			 5LF Lewisham PCT 145 140 156 283 28.4 27.4 30.3 55.0 
			 5N9 Lincolnshire PCT 239 564 526 526 17.3 40.7 37.6 37.6 
			 5NL Liverpool PCT 285 428 421 707 32.0 48.1 47.4 79.6 
			 5GC Luton PCT 125 123 143 215 34.1 33.5 38.6 58.1 
			 5NT Manchester PCT 219 262 311 307 22.8 27.3 32.0 31.6 
			 5L3 Medway PCT 99 106 127 154 18.7 20.0 23.9 29.0 
			 5PX Mid Essex PCT 201 147 208 174 28.5 20.8 29.2 24.4 
			 5KM Middlesbrough PCT 148 133 114 139 51.4 46.2 39.6 48.2 
			 5CQ Milton Keynes PCT 65 69 73 79 14.1 15.0 15.7 17.0 
			 5D7 Newcastle PCT 106 86 108 130 20.4 16.5 20,7 24.9 
			 5C5 Newham PCT 223 224 221 232 44.0 44.2 43.4 45.6 
			 5PQ Norfolk PCT 339 287 374 410 23.7 20.1 25.8 28.3 
			 5PW North East Essex PCT 93 166 111 102 14.9 26.6 17.5 16.0 
			 TAN North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus 132 112 174 157 40.2 34.1 53.2 48.0 
			 5NF North Lancashire PCT 330 423 417 435 50.8 65.1 63.9 66.6 
			 5EF North Lincolnshire PCT 143 165 207 225 45.3 52.3 65.4 71.1 
			 5M8 North Somerset PCT 129 166 188 184 32.5 41.8 46.6 45.6 
			 5PH North Staffordshire PCT 146 161 175 179 35.8 39.5 42.9 43.9 
			 5E1 North Tees PCT 221 228 290 299 59.0 60.8 76.9 79.3 
			 5D8 North Tyneside PCT 170 180 190 150 41.9 44.3 46.5 36.7 
			 5NV North Yorkshire and York PCT 386 386 680 680 25.3 25.3 44.3 44.3 
			 5PD Northamptonshire PCT 476 390 421 704 36.5 29.9 31.9 53.3 
			 TAC Northumberland Care Trust 216 265 282 307 34.8 42.7 45.3 49.3 
			 5EM Nottingham City PCT 172 191 190 171 28.5 31.6 31.1 28.0 
			 5N8 Nottinghamshire County PCT 433 538 607 645 34.0 42.2 47.5 50.5 
			 5J5 Oldham PCT 244 280 393 345 54.9 63.0 88.4 77.6 
			 5QE Oxfordshire PCT 441 565 489 495 36.2 46.4 39.9 40.4 
			 5PN Peterborough PCT 66 66 83 92 22.1 22.1 27.7 30.7 
			 5F1 Plymouth PCT 398 486 471 620 80.4 98.1 94.1 123.9 
			 5FE Portsmouth City PCT 222 280 278 310 56.0 70.6 69.7 77.7 
			 5NA Redbridge PCT 179 98 89 114 37.7 20.7 18.5 23.8 
			 5QR Redcar and Cleveland PCT 65 59 72 80 24.5 22.2 27.1 30.1 
			 5M6 Richmond and Twickenham PCT 105 107 155 171 30.5 31.0 44.8 49.4 
			 5H8 Rotherham PCT 164 146 157 151 33.6 29.9 32.2 31.0 
			 5F5 Salford PCT 242 210 211 254 54.5 47.3 47.3 57.0 
			 5PF Sandwell PCT 92 152 313 186 15.3 25.3 51.9 30.9 
			 5NJ Sefton PCT 174 178 167 154 32.1 32.8 30.9 28.5 
			 5N4 Sheffield PCT 414 593 572 640 39.1 56.0 53.5 59:9 
			 5M2 Shropshire County PCT 280 280 557 733 49.4 49.4 97.7 128.5 
			 TAM Solihull Care Trust 149 151 147 175 36.3 36.8 35.6 42.4 
			 5QL Somerset PCT 254 320 380 402 25.0 31.4 37.0 39.2 
			 5MI South Birmingham PCT 115 166 228 193 16.6 24.0 32.9 27.8 
			 5P1 South East Essex PCT 38 59 68 78 5.8 8.9 10.2 11.7 
			 5A3 South Gloucestershire PCT 135 166 171 184 28.1 34.6 35.3 38.0 
			 5PK South Staffordshire PCT 310 335 338 338 26.7 28.8 29.0 29.0 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT 89 98 142 110 29.5 32.5 47.0 36.4 
			 5PY South West Essex PCT 49 95 74 226 6.2 12.0 9.3 28.4 
			 5L1 Southampton City PCT 232 280 279 268 47.7 57.6 56.8 54.6 
			 SLE Southwark PCT 151 169 136 131 29.9 33.4 26.3 25.4 
			 5F7 Stockport PCT 192 251 310 315 34.1 44.6 55.1 56.0 
			 5PJ Stoke On Trent PCT 141 156 151 151 27.3 30.2 29.3 29.3 
			 5PT Suffolk PCT 190 214 290 392 16.3 18.4 24.7 33.3 
			 5KL Sunderland Teaching PCT 257 262 278 299 46.9 47.8 50.7 54.6 
			 5P5 Surrey PCT 641 634 770 682 30.2 29.9 35.9 31.8 
			 5M7 Sutton and Merton PCT 216 258 279 254 28.8 34.4 36.9 33.6 
			 5K3 Swindon PCT 73 87 87 135 19.3 23.0 22.6 35.1 
			 5LH Tameside and Glossop PCT 195 191 176 199 43.3 42.4 39.1 44.2 
			 5MK Telford and Wrekin PCT 221 234 252 249 68.6 72.6 78.3 77.4 
			 TAL Torbay Care Trust 154 161 163 146 55.7 58.3 58.6 52.5 
			 5C4 Tower Hamlets PCT 71 98 95 128 16.7 23.1 22.1 29.8 
			 5NR Trafford PCT 60 60 60 109 14.3 14.3 14.2 25.9 
			 5N3 Wakefield District PCT 190 240 236 233 28.6 36.1 35.4 35.0 
			 5M3 Walsall PCT 272 308 362 377 54.5 61.7 72.5 75.5 
			 5NC Waltham Forest PCT 131 86 221 257 28.8 18.9 48.4 56.3 
			 5LG Wandsworth PCT 94 125 135 205 16.9 22.5 24.1 36.6 
			 5J2 Warrington PCT 113 127 197 210 29.5 33.1 51.1 54.5 
			 5PM Warwickshire PCT 659 889 1,113 818 64.3 86.8 107.8 79.2 
			 5PV West Essex PCT 93 89 103 102 17.9 17.1 19.7 19.5 
			 5P4 West Hertfordshire PCT 283 226 206 233 26.5 21.2 19.2 21.7 
			 5P9 West Kent PCT 225 334 485 388 17.1 25.4 36.6 29.3 
			 5P6 West Sussex PCT 592 952 1,215 431 38.5 61.9 78.5 27.8 
			 5NN Western Cheshire PCT 135 152 152 176 27.6 31.1 30.9 35.8 
			 5LC Westminster PCT 186 129 130 138 40.1 27.8 27.7 29.4 
			 5QK Wiltshire PCT 315 339 257 364 36.6 39.4 29.5 41.8 
			 5NK Wirral PCT 143 170 182 255 23.0 27.3 29.4 41.2 
			 5MV Wolverhampton dry PCT 265 267 299 287 55.7 56.1 62.9 60.4 
			 5PL Worcestershire PCT 362 356 287 312 33.3 32.8 26.3 28.6 
			  Source: Department of Health forms: Vital Signs Monitoring Return (VSMR). GP membership populations-AD 2007 reconciled to Office for National Statistics mid-2006 estimates for local authorities (minus special populations), The Information Centre for health and social care

Dermatology: Manpower

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to increase the number of General Practitioners with a special interest in dermatology;
	(2)  what steps he is taking to increase the number of specialist nurses in dermatology.

Mike O'Brien: Local health care commissioners and providers are responsible for the provision of services appropriate to the needs of their local health communities, taking into account relevant national guidance. The Government have made clear, in a series of publications beginning with the White Paper Our health, our care, our say in January 2006, their commitment to providing a greater proportion of services close to where people live, where it is appropriate and safe to do so. General guidance on the provision of services using general practitioners with special interests was given in Implementing care closer to home: convenient quality care for patients and guidance on the role of specialist nurses is described in Long term neurological conditions: a good practice guide to the development of the multidisciplinary team and the value of the specialist nurse. Specific guidance on dermatology services was given in July 2008 in Delivering care closer to home: meeting the challenge, and in the associated resource pack Providing care for patients with skin conditions.

Diabetes: Health Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research his Department  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effects of diabetes networks, as defined in the National Service Framework for Diabetes, on patient outcomes for people with diabetes;
	(2)  what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the quality of diabetes services provided by primary care trusts which (i) have an effective diabetes network as defined in the National Service Framework for Diabetes and (ii) do not have such a network.

Mike O'Brien: We recognise the important role that diabetes networks can play in developing integrated services, as well as providing a structure for service planning and delivery. We are working with NHS Diabetes and Diabetes UK to expand networks across England.
	We have not commissioned any specific research or evaluations on either the effects of diabetes networks on patient outcomes for people with diabetes or the quality of diabetes services provided by primary care trusts which have an effective diabetes network, and those that do not have such a network, as defined in the National Service Framework for Diabetes.

Doctors: Sports

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons are working as consultant physicians in sport and exercise medicine with the NHS; and how many such persons received  (a) a certificate of eligibility for specialist registration and  (b) a certificate of completion of training in sports and exercise medicine from a UK university in the last 12 months.

Mike O'Brien: The national NHS workforce census shows that there are three consultants working in sport and exercise medicine.
	There have been 11 certificate of eligibility for specialist registration (CESR) applications to date, with a further four currently with the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board.
	Five people have completed CESR and achieved a certificate of completion of training.

Fertility

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what guidance his Department has issued on the eligibility of a person classified as prematurely infertile for the full 10-year extension of storage of gametes and embryos referred to in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) Regulations 2009 in circumstances in which that person's infertility would no longer be regarded as premature in the later stages of the 10-year extension;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued on the age at which infertility in  (a) men and  (b) women may be regarded as premature referred to in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Statutory Storage Period for Embryos and Gametes) Regulations 2009.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not issued guidance on the definition of premature infertility. The individual factors of each case would be taken into account by a registered medical practitioner when deciding if the criteria for extending storage periods for embryos or gametes are met. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for the Department, or the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), to give a definition of premature infertility or to specify an age when infertility would no longer be deemed premature.

Health Services: Overseas Residence

Malcolm Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-British residents received NHS treatment in  (a) England and  (b) North East Cambridgeshire in each of the last 10 years; what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of treating each such group in each year; what proportion of such expenditure was recovered through charges to such patients and their insurers in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The total audited national income from overseas patients under non-reciprocal arrangements and total losses, bad debt and claims abandoned for overseas visitors for years 2002-03 to 2008-09 for which figures are available for England and North East Cambridgeshire are shown in the tables.
	The provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989 place a legal obligation on providers of National Health Service hospital services to establish whether patients are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and, if not, whether they are exempt from charges under the provisions of the regulations or liable to pay for any treatment provided. Under the regulations a number of categories of non-British citizens who are currently either resident or visiting the UK are exempted from charges for some or all of their NHS treatment. These include, but are not limited to, nationals of the European economic area states and other countries with which the UK has a bilateral health agreement, students and some workers.
	The figures provided therefore reflect chargeable patients under these regulations. Successive governments have not required the NHS to provide separate statistics on the number of non-British residents seen, treated or charged under these provisions. Therefore, it is not possible to provide that level of information.
	 The total audited national income from overseas patients under non-reciprocal arrangements, and total losses, bad debt and claims abandoned for overseas visitors for years 2002-03 to 2008-09 for which figures are available for England.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Non-reciprocal income received  Bad debts and claims abandoned in respect of overseas patients 
			 2002-03 - 2,109,000 
			 2003-04 9,178,000 3,334,173 
			 2004-05 10,883,000 2,369,650 
			 2005-06 13,070,000 3,883,017 
			 2006-07 15,182,925 5,046,763 
			 2007-08 18,167,000 6,468,751 
			 2008-09 17,541,000 5,204,856 
			  Notes: 1. 2003-04 was the first year we separately identified income from overseas patients under non-reciprocal agreements. Therefore there are no data before this time. 2. We do not collect data from NHS Foundation Trusts so figures from 2004-05 onwards exclude these sites.  Source: NHS Trust Audited Summarisation Schedules. 
		
	
	 The total audited income from overseas patients under non-reciprocal arrangements, and total losses, bad debt and claims abandoned for overseas visitors for years 2002-03 to 2008-09 for which figures are available for those organisations within North East Cambridgeshire.
	
		
			  Income 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Addenbrookes NHS Trust  Kings Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust  Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust  Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust  Total North East Cambridgeshire 
			 2003-04 217,000 19,000 - 74,000 310,000 
			 2004-05 - - 320,000 - 320,000 
			 2005-06 - - 0 - 0 
			 2006-07 - - 20,000 - 20,000 
			 2007-08 - - 65,000 - 65,000 
			 2008-09 - - -3,000 - -3,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Losses and debts 
			  £ 
			  Financial year  Addenbrookes NHS Trust  Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust  Kings Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust  Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust  Total North East Cambridgeshire 
			 2002-03 19,000 - 1,000 - 20,000 
			 2003-04 20,684 0 328 - 21,012 
			 2004-05 - 961 - 13,084 14,045 
			 2005-06 - - - 8,147 8,147 
			 2006-07 - - - 0 0 
			 2007-08 - - - 2,442 2,442 
			 2008-09 - - - 3,286 3,286 
			  Notes: 1. 2003-04 was the first year we separately identified income from overseas patients under non-reciprocal agreements. Therefore there are no income data before this time. 2. The Department keeps data from the individual summarisation schedules of NHS bodies for seven years; therefore losses data are only available for the years 2002-03 to 2008-09. 3. In 2004-05 Addenbrookes NHS Trust obtained foundation status and became Cambridgeshire University Hospital Foundation Trust. The 2004-05 figure represents only the part of the year the organisation operated as a NHS Trust after which no national data have been collected.  4. In 2004-05 Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust obtained foundation status and became Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals Foundation Trust. There are no losses data for Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust. 5. In 2004-05 Kings Lynn and Wisbech Hospitals NHS Trust became Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kings Lynn NHS Trust.  Source: NHS Trust Audited Summarisation Schedule

Health Services: West Yorkshire

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many serious untoward incidents arising from the provision of patient care in out-of-hours and urgent care services were registered by each primary care trust in West Yorkshire in each quarter since April 2008.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not collected centrally.

Health Services: West Yorkshire

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what performance standards against the internal operating requirement benchmarks for measuring the quality of out-of-hours service providers were reported to each primary care trust in West Yorkshire in each quarter since April 2008.

Mike O'Brien: This information is not collected centrally.
	From 1 January 2005 all providers of out-of-hours (OOH) services have been required to comply with the national OOH Quality Requirements, first published in October 2004 (a copy of which has been placed in the Library). Following the National Audit Office 2006 report The Provision of Out of Hours Care in England, the Department worked with the Royal College of General Practitioners to review the Quality Requirements, which were updated in July 2006.
	All out-of-hours services must be delivered to the National Quality Requirements, ensuring that patients have access to consistently high quality and responsive care, regardless of where they live.
	Providers must report regularly to primary care trusts on their compliance with the Quality Requirements, and their services will be regularly audited to ensure that patients are receiving quality care.

Hepatitis

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the rate of contraction of Hepatitis C via the sharing of notes and straws by cocaine users; what measures are in place to discourage this practice; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The Department has not made such an estimate. Current advice from the Advisory Group on Hepatitis is that the sharing of bank notes or straws for intranasal cocaine use is a theoretically plausible route of hepatitis C transmission, but that robust evidence of an actual risk is lacking. The NHS hepatitis C website (www.nhs.uk/hepc) recommends that intranasal cocaine users do not share straws or banknotes because of this potential risk.

Hospitals: Food

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average daily allocation of funding is for food for a hospital inpatient.

Mike O'Brien: There is no national health service daily allocation as such so this information is not collected in the precise format requested. However, information provided to the Department shows that in 2007-08 the average cost of feeding one patient per day was £6.97.
	This cost relates to the average daily cost for the provision of all meals and beverages fed to one patient per day, across all NHS trusts in England. The cost should include all pay and non-pay costs, including provisions, ward issues, disposables, equipment and its maintenance.
	The information has been supplied by the NHS and has not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation.

Knee Replacements

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts have provided Rheo knees to patients requiring an advanced technology leg prosthesis in the last two years.

Mike O'Brien: I regret that the information requested is not collected centrally.

Medical Treatments: Compensation

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department last made provision for an ex-gratia payment to a patient group affected by a product dispensed by the NHS.

Mike O'Brien: The Department provides funding to the following organisations who make ex-gratia payments related to contaminated blood or blood products.
	The Macfarlane Trust, which was set up in 1988 to establish a hardship fund to assist haemophiliacs who contracted HIV following treatment with blood products on the national health service.
	The Eileen Trust, which was set up in 1993 as a charitable trust to assist people other than those with bleeding disorders, who had contracted HIV through NHS treatment with contaminated blood products.
	The Skipton Fund Ltd., which was set up in 2004 as an ex-gratia payment scheme for patients infected with hepatitis C through NHS contaminated blood and blood products, provided the patient was alive on 29 August 2003.
	Funding is provided to the Macfarlane Trust and Eileen Trust twice a year. The Skipton Fund receives funding as required during the year.
	Details of individual payments to patients are not held centrally by the Department.

Mental Health Services

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of adults receiving secondary mental health services were living in settled accommodation in each of the smallest geographical areas for which figures are available in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The data requested for previous years are not currently collected, however information for 2008-09 is due to be published later this year.

NHS: Expenditure

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the Exchequer of the NHS has been in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in each year since 1990; and what proportion of (i) gross domestic product and (ii) public expenditure such expenditure represented in each such year.

Mike O'Brien: Table 1 shows total net national health service expenditure in England in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms in each year since 1990.
	Table 2 shows United Kingdom health expenditure as a proportion of (i) gross domestic product (GDP) and (ii) total managed expenditure.
	
		
			  Table 1: NHS Total Expenditure: England-1990-91 to 2010-11 
			£ Billion 
			Net NHS expenditure nominal( 4)  Net NHS expenditure real (2008-09 prices)( 4) 
			 Cash(1)
			 1990-91 Outturn 22.3 36.1 
			 1991-92 Outturn 25.4 38.7 
			 1992-93 Outturn 28.0 41.4 
			 1993-94 Outturn 28.9 41.7 
			 1994-95 Outturn 30.6 43.4 
			 1995-96 Outturn 32.0 44.1 
			 1996-97 Outturn 33.0 43.9 
			 1997-98 Outturn 34.7 44.9 
			 1998-99 Outturn 36.6 46.5 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 39.9 49.6 
			 
			  Resource budgeting
			 Stage 1(2)
			 1999-2000 Outturn 40.2 50.0 
			 2000-01 Outturn 43.9 54.0 
			 2001-02 Outturn 49.0 58.9 
			 2002-03 Outturn 54.0 62.9 
			 
			  Resource budgeting
			 Stage 2(3,5)
			 2003-04 Outturn 64.2 72.7 
			 2004-05 Outturn 69.1 76.1 
			 2005-06 Outturn 75.8 82.0 
			 2006-07 Outturn 80.6 84.6 
			 2007-08 Outturn estimated 89.3 91.2 
			 2008-09 Outturn 94.5 94.5 
			 2009-10 Plan 102.7 101.6 
			 2010-11 Plan 105.8 103.2 
			  Notes: (1) Expenditure pre 1999-2000 is on a cash basis. (2) Expenditure figures from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 are on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis. (3) Expenditure figures from 2003-04 to 2010-11 are on a stage 2 resource budgeting basis. (4) Figures are not consistent over the period (1990-91 to 2010-11), therefore it is difficult to make comparisons across different periods. (5) Figures from 2003-04 include a technical adjustment for trust depreciation. (6) Expenditure excludes NHS (AME). (7) GDP deflator 30 June 2009. (8) Total Expenditure is calculated as the sum of revenue and capital expenditure net of non-trust depreciation and impairments. This is in line with HMT guidance. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: UK health expenditure as a proportion of (i) gross domestic product, and (ii) total managed expenditure 
			Percentage 
			UK public spending on health as a percentage of GDP  UK public spending on health as a percentage of total managed expenditure 
			  Cash
			 1993-94 Outturn 5.5 12.8 
			 1994-95 Outturn 5.6 13.2 
			 1995-96 Outturn 5.6 13.3 
			 1996-97 Outturn 5.4 13.6 
			 1997-98 Outturn 5.3 13.8 
			 
			  Accruals
			 1998-99 Outturn 5.3 14.2 
			 1999-2000 Outturn 5.2 14.4 
			 2000-01 Outturn 5.5 14.9 
			 2001-02 Outturn 5.8 15.4 
			 2002-03 Outturn 6.1 15.7 
			 2003-04 Outturn 6.5 16.5 
			 2004-05 Outturn 6.8 16.8 
			 2005-06 Outturn 7.1 17.1 
			 2006-07 Outturn 7.0 17.2 
			 2007-08 Outturn 7.2 17.5 
			 2008-09 Estimated outturn 7.7 17.8 
			  Source: Calculated percentages use information on: - Health Public Spending-Table 4.2/Table 4.4 HM Treasury PESA 2009 - ONS data for money GDP (not seasonally adjusted, BKTL) - Total Managed Expenditure: Budget 2009 Table C17 
		
	
	GDP and public expenditure are reported on a UK basis by HM Treasury. In order to avoid a misleading calculation, UK based figures for health expenditure have been used in the calculation. The same method is applied in response to similar questions posed as part of the Health Select Committee's Public Expenditure Inquiry. Please note easily accessible health figures available on this basis only back to 1993-94.

NHS: Finance

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology his Department will use to assess the outcome of its individual budget pilots.

Mike O'Brien: I refer the hon. Member to the response given on 15 July 2009,  Official Report, column 537W.
	The Department has specified what the evaluation of the pilots should look at, rather than prescribing a particular methodology. Researchers have been invited to submit proposals explaining how they would meet that specification. This is the Department's normal approach. We are currently working to select an evaluation team and we hope to have one in place shortly.
	The evaluation will cover five main areas: the effect on people's health and wellbeing, behavioural change by both individuals and national health service staff, financial outcomes, effects on the wider NHS, and how personal health budgets are delivered.

NHS: Per Capita Costs

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of the NHS in  (a) cash and  (b) real terms per (i) family, (ii) household and (iii) person in England in each year since 1990.

Mike O'Brien: The following table shows national health service expenditure per head in England since 1990. The Department does not routinely collect or collate data on a family or household basis so this further information has not been supplied. However, indicative estimates could be derived from expenditure per head figures.
	Total net NHS expenditure per head for England 1990-91 to 2008-09
	
		
			Net NHS spend per head nominal (£)  Net NHS spend per head real (2008-09 prices) (£) 
			 1990-91 outturn 468 756 
			 1991-92 outturn 530 808 
			 1992-93 outturn 583 863 
			 1993-94 outturn 602 867 
			 1994-95 outturn 634 900 
			 1995-96 outturn 661 912 
			 1996-97 outturn 680 904 
			 1997-98 outturn 712 923 
			 1998-99 outturn 740 939 
			 1999-2000 outturn 810 1,008 
			 2000-01 outturn 890 1,093 
			 2001-02 outturn 980 1,178 
			 2002-03 outturn 1,082 1,259 
			 2003-04 outturn 1,218 1,379 
			 2004-05 outturn 1,353 1,490 
			 2005-06 outturn 1,451 1,569 
			 2006-07 outturn 1,513 1,589 
			 2007-08 outturn 1,626 1,662 
			 2008-09 plan 1,774 1,774 
			  Notes: 1. Gross Domestic Product deflator 30 June 2009.  Expenditure figures 1990-91 to 1997-98. 2. Expenditure figures are on a cash basis. 3. Calculation derived from ONS Population mid-estimates. Expenditure figures 1998-99 to 2002-03. 4. Expenditure in 1998-99 is on a cash basis. 5. Expenditure figures from 1999-2000 to 2002-03 are on a Stage 1 Resource Budgeting basis. 6. Per head figures are rounded to the nearest £10.  Source: Expenditure figures for England - Department of Health, England.  Expenditure figures 2002-03 to 2008-09 7. Health Expenditure is defined under the HM Treasury's Total Expenditure on Services (TES aggregate). This definition allows comparison on the same basis between England and the Devolved Administrations. The TES definition of Health Expenditure for England includes most Department of Health resource near cash (excludes certain items e.g. grants to local authorities) plus local authority spending, Medical Research Council spending plus National Lottery spending on health. 8. Near cash can be defined as transactions that have an impact on cash flow in the short term, e.g. pay and pension costs on goods and services, or cash payments for the release of provisions.  Source: HM Treasury Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2009 Tables 9.11 and 9.15 9. Figures are not consistent over the period therefore it is difficult to make comparisons across different periods 10. Figures may not be consistent with those published elsewhere due to updated sources.

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the exemption from prescription charges for sufferers of coeliac disease.

Mike O'Brien: In the period 1 January 2009 to 1 September 2009, the Department received six written representations concerning the exemption of individuals with coeliac disease from prescription charges.

SunSmart

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require the SunSmart campaign to use the funds allocated to it from the public purse to increase its level of activity in schools.

Mike O'Brien: SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention and sun protection campaign, is run by Cancer Research UK on behalf of the UK Health Departments. Schools have always been an important target audience for the campaign. All schools have been encouraged to develop their own sun protection policies with guidelines available from the SunSmart website at:
	www.sunsmart.org.uk
	which provides schools and parents with the opportunity to ask for further information around skin cancer and sun protection issues. The campaign also provides resources for schools which align with the national curriculum.
	In spring 2009, a SunSmart competition aimed at raising awareness of SunSmart's sun protection messages ran across primary schools in England.

Swine Flu

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many of those with a virologically-confirmed case of H1N1 infection reported between 17 and 30 June 2009 inclusive were hospitalised as a result of the infection; and how many of those were aged  (a) under 10,  (b) between 10 and 19,  (c) between 20 and 29,  (d) between 30 and 39,  (e) between 40 and 49,  (f) between 50 and 59 and  (g) over 59 years of age; and for how many of those hospitalised no age was recorded;
	(2)  how many  (a) male, imported,  (b) female, imported,  (c) male, indigenous,  (d) female, indigenous and  (e) other new cases of H1N1 were virologically confirmed in England, Wales and Northern Ireland between 17 June and 30 June 2009 inclusive; how many in each category related to patients (i) aged under 10, (ii) between (A) 10 and 19, (B) 20 and 29, (C) 30 and 39, (D) 40 and 49, (E) 50 and 59 and (F) 60 years or more and (iii) for whom no age is recorded; in respect of how many cases in each category the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has recorded (1) the date of onset of symptoms, (2) the date of swab sample for diagnosis and (3) the date of the H1N1 case report; and in how many such cases in each category the start date of antiviral prophylaxis or other treatment is also known to the HPA;
	(3)  how many of the confirmed cases of H1N1 infection in England and Wales reported by 16 June 2009 were hospitalised; and how many such patients were  (a) aged (i) under 10, (ii) between 10 and 19, (iii) between 20 and 29, (iv) between 30 and 39, (v) between 40 and 49, (vi) between 50 and 59 and (vii) over 59 years old and  (b) of unknown age.

Mike O'Brien: The available information is given in the following tables.
	Not all of the data requested are available. Detailed information was collected on the first few hundred cases to provide information on the virus, it was not possible for the Health Protection Agency to continue to collect that level of detailed information as the number of cases increased.
	
		
			  Number of hospitalised virologically-confirmed pandemic influenza A(H 1N1 v) 2009 cases between 17-30 June 2009 reported to Health Protection Agency (HPA) Centre for Infections (CfI)( 1) 
			  Age group -years  Number 
			 0-9 32 
			 10-19 15 
			 20-29 13 
			 30-39 5 
			 40-49 9 
			 50-59 2 
			 60+ 3 
			 Unknown age 1 
			 Total 80 
			 (1) These are the cases reported to HPA CfI between 17-30 June 2009 from England. No cases were reported for the period from Wales and Northern Ireland. 
		
	
	
		
			  Imported and indigenous virologically-confirmed pandemic influenza A(HlNlv) 2009 cases known to the Health Protection Agency between 17 June and 30 June 2009 by age 
			Age group-years  
			  Probable route of transmission  Gender  0-9  10-19  20-29  30-39  40-49  50-59  60+  Age not known  Grand total 
			 Imported Female 4 10 30 7 6 8 3 0 68 
			  Male 5 8 35 10 12 4 4 0 78 
			  Unknown gender 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 
			 Imported total  9 18 66 17 18 12 7 1 148 
			
			 Indigenous Female 355 482 328 124 88 56 21 21 1,475 
			  Male 393 568 316 74 52 31 13 17 1,464 
			  Unknown gender 276 311 104 60 35 13 4 38 841 
			 Indigenous total  1,024 1,361 748 258 175 100 38 76 3,780 
			
			 Unknown route of transmission Female 42 38 24 9 12 6 3 4 138 
			  Male 44 60 22 6 10 8 2 3 155 
			  Unknown gender 42 51 24 11 9 1 1 50 189 
			 Unknown route of transmission total  128 149 70 26 31 15 6 57 482 
			
			 Grand total  1,161 1,528 884 301 224 127 51 134 4,410 
			
			 Date of onset known  578 885 640 161 131 79 12 20 2,528 
			 Date of onset not known  583 643 244 140 93 48 1 114 1,882 
			 Grand total  1,161 1,528 884 301 224 127 13 134 4,410 
			  Notes: 1. The 4,410 reports summarised in the table relate to the FluZone 'disaggregate' data set for England held at the HPA CfI and analysed on 30 June 2009. 2. Data on the date the sample was taken and on the date of commencement of antiviral prophylaxis or treatment are not available in the FluZone disaggregate dataset. 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of hospitalised virologically-confirmed pandemic influenza A(H1N1v) 2009 cases reported by 16 June 2009, England (no hospitalised cases were known to the Health Protection Agency from Wales) 
			  Age group-years  Number 
			 0-9 2 
			 10-19 0 
			 20-29 1 
			 30-39 1 
			 40-49 1 
			 50-59 0 
			 60+ 0 
			 Unknown age 1 
			 Total 6

Swine Flu: Drugs

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to maintain adequate levels of manufacturing capacity in the UK for generic  (a) antibiotics and  (b) anti-viral drugs;
	(2)  which suppliers of anti-viral drugs for the treatment of swine influenza manufacture such drugs in the UK.

Mike O'Brien: The United Kingdom has stockpiled both Relenza, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), and Tamiflu, manufactured by Roche. Neither product is manufactured in the UK. Based on scientific advice from the British Thoracic Society, the Government have stockpiled 15.3 million treatment courses of antibiotics as part of their pandemic response.
	In addition, the Office for the Life Sciences, working with relevant Whitehall departments including the Department of Health has recently published a Life Sciences Blueprint. This sets out the Government's commitments on a range of issues which we and industry have identified as being most important to make the UK attractive to the life sciences industries (including the pharmaceutical industry) including manufacturing.

Swine Flu: Northamptonshire

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what trends have been identified in the incidence of swine influenza in Northamptonshire.

Mike O'Brien: Information on influenza-like illness by primary care trust is published on the Health Protection Agency website at:
	www.hpa.org.uk/hpr/infections/primarycare.htm
	Influenza-like illness has been declining in recent weeks, following a peak in July.
	We are now relying on clinical diagnosis instead of laboratory confirmation to identify cases of swine flu and so no longer have detailed data about the precise number of cases. The estimated total number of cases of swine flu is mathematically modelled for England each week using the available surveillance information and the downward trend in cases is continuing.

Vulnerable Adults: Protection

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times his Department's Project Steering Group has convened since the publication of the No Secrets guidelines; and if he will make a statement.

Phil Hope: The review of the No Secrets guidance has been overseen by two groups; the Programme Board and the Advisory Group. The membership of both is published in the consultation document, Safeguarding Adults: A consultation on the review of the 'No Secrets' guidance-Department of Health, October 2008. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
	The remit of the Programme Board is to review the effectiveness of present multi-agency safeguarding and adult protection guidance in producing positive outcomes for individuals at risk of abuse in the light of emerging information from recent cases, recent inspections and in the context of the Government's overall policy agenda in both health and social care, and to carry out a national consultation on these issues. The Advisory Group's remit was to advise on issues relevant to the consultation. The Programme Board met on 21 May 2008, 25 June 2008, 9 October 2008 and 2 September 2009. The Advisory Group met on 7 May 2008, 26 September 2008 and 12 November 2008.
	The consultation opened on 16 October 2008 and closed on 31 January 2009. The analysis of the consultation responses was published on 17 July 2009. The time taken to publish the analysis reflected the fact that some 12,000 people, including those with learning difficulties, older people, those with mental health problems and people from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, participated in the consultation.

OLYMPICS

Olympic Games 2012: Consultants

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how many contracts have been granted to consultants in relation to London 2012 in each year since 2004; to whom the contract was granted in each case; what each project was; and how much each contract was worth.

Tessa Jowell: The procurement of consultancy services by both GOE and ODA is a planned response to the need to deliver the Government's commitments and guarantees to deliver the London 2012 games on time and within a budget of £9.325 billion.
	The consultants provide valuable short term support or key specialist skills and expertise not otherwise readily available.
	The use of consultants has enabled us to make excellent progress across the many facets of the Olympic programme and in particular in the construction of the Olympic venues and development of legacy planning. As well as rapid progress we have seen significant savings across the venues and infrastructure construction programme, whose anticipated final cost (AFC) fell by £179 million from £7,413 million when we published the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games Annual Report in January 2009 to £7,234 million when we published our Quarterly Economic Report in May 2009.
	As the IOC recently recognised, inputs such as these are continuing to transform the Lower Lea Valley and provide a lasting legacy for the people of London and the UK.
	Spending by the Olympic Delivery Authority on consultancy fees reduced from £19.8 million (3.7 per cent. of total ODA spend) in 2007-08 to £16 million (1.2 per cent.) in 2008-09.
	This reduction reflects the shift from the planning, design and preparation phase of the programme, where consultancy costs are traditionally concentrated, to the development phase.
	Spending by the Government Olympic Executive (GOE) on consultancy was £0.4 million in 2007-08 and £0.3 million in 2008-09, 4.6 per cent. and 3.4 per cent. respectively of GOE's total budget.
	Details for contracts let by the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), the former Olympic Programme Support Unit and the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) to July 2008 were set out in the answer that I gave to the hon. Member on 4 November 2008,  Official Report, column 292W. I have placed in the Libraries of both Houses tables which set out in the following:
	the details of contracts let by the GOE from 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009.
	The value of payments during the whole of 2008-09 to consultants who were contracted by the ODA during earlier years and remained engaged during 2008-09 and to those who were newly contracted during 2008-09. The table for ODA contractors excludes those listed in my earlier answer whose services ended before 2008-09 began. The information is, therefore, presented differently to that in my earlier answer, which listed the names of ODA's consultants by the year in which they were first contracted together with, in the case of each consultant, a cumulative figure for the value of ODA consultancy spend to July 2008.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK forces in Afghanistan have a guarantee of secondary medical support within an hour following a major injury.

Bob Ainsworth: Medical support in Afghanistan is provided in accordance with Military Medical Doctrine and takes account of the requirements of different types of injury. Operational and medical support planning is done in accordance with these guidelines. This doctrine allows two hours to get the casualty to a primary surgery facility.
	All infantry troops are accompanied by a team medic, at a ratio of one to four, who is able to provide Role 1 care; immediate airway and haemorrhage control within 10 minutes. Battle Field Advanced Trauma Life Support (BATLS) is provided to all injured personnel within one hour; the airborne Medical Emergency Response Teams that are dispatched to incidents where casualties have been sustained bring Accident and Emergency (Role 2) level care and resuscitation, including the ability to ventilate patients and give blood during flight, to the front line.
	The Allied Command Operations Directive 83-1 (Medical Support to Operations) requires that casualties requiring surgery should be under treatment in a correctly equipped facility, a Role 3 facility such as Camp Bastion Hospital, within two hours of being wounded. We adhere to this directive.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what Ridgback vehicles have been  (a) delivered to and  (b) shipped from the United Kingdom; and what the delivery number of each such shipment was.

Quentin Davies: 157 base vehicles ordered under the Ridgback programme have been delivered to the UK. I am withholding details of vehicles delivered to Theatre as this could compromise operational security.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects Ridgback vehicles to be used in operations.

Quentin Davies: Ridgeback vehicles have been used operationally in Afghanistan since June this year.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Ridgback vehicles will be fitted with new suspension units to improve off-road performance.

Quentin Davies: Ridgback does not have any suspension problems. Trials are due to begin in October 2009, looking at ways of improving the mobility and payload of the various Ridgback variants, and as part of this alternative suspension systems will be investigated. This is part of the ongoing improvement programme for all protected mobility vehicles; as the first phase of the trial and evaluation process is not due to complete until the end of this year, it is too early to say what modifications might be made.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made in the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle programme; and if he will make a statement.

Quentin Davies: Some 30 expressions of interest were received for the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle programme following publication in the Defence Contracts Bulletin on 25 February 2009. Pre-Qualification Questionnaires were issued in response to these expressions of interest and 16 responses have been received; these are currently being evaluated and down-selected. The intention is that the vehicle should enter service in 2011.

Defence Trade Treaty

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the US-UK bilateral defence trade treaty to be ratified.

Quentin Davies: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 September 2009,  Official Report, column 1808W, to the hon. Member for Lancaster and Wyre (Mr. Wallace).

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in June 2009.

Quentin Davies: Performance figures for June 2009, against the Government's agreed 10 day payment target, are as follows:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 FMSSC 97.5 
			 Met Office 92.3 
			 UKHO 97.4 
			 DSTL 27.8 
		
	
	We are working with the Defence Support Group towards a target to pay trade creditors' invoices within 10 days of receipt.

Departmental Expenditure

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department incurred in  (a) equipment expenditure,  (b) non-equipment expenditure,  (c) service personnel costs and  (d) civil personnel costs in Scotland in each year since 1997.

Quentin Davies: Estimated direct MOD expenditure in Scotland under the categories requested for the years where data are available (i.e. 2001-02 to 2006-07) are presented in the following table:
	
		
			  VAT exclusive at current prices  ( £ million ) 
			 Scotland  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07 
			 Total 1,480 1,560 1,720 1,630 1,720 1,620 
			 of which:   
			 (a) Equipment expenditure 450 580 670 600 560 520 
			 (b) Non Equipment expenditure 320 270 300 290 400 320 
			 (c) Service personnel costs 480 510 570 560 560 590 
			 (d) Civilian personnel costs 230 200 180 180 200 190 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest £10 million. 2. Figures relate to expenditure in the whole Scottish Government Office Region rather than to any individual military or civilian establishments. 3. Indirect expenditure, such subcontracted work, is not reflected in the figures. A. Personnel costs exclude contributions made by MOD to the Armed Forces Pensions Scheme and War Pensions Scheme. 5. Data were either not prepared or were deemed not to be of sufficient quality prior to 2001-02.

Helicopters: Nepal

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcomes were of his Department's investigation into the gifting of two M1-17 helicopters from the Conflict Prevention Fund to the Royal Nepal Army in 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: After investigation, MOD Police Fraud Squad concluded that there was no evidence of criminality in the procurement and purchase process of these helicopters, nor any misappropriation or misuse of UK Government funds. The Nepalese Government has been advised to dispose of them in the manner which best suits them.

Manpower: Fife

Willie Rennie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of civilian jobs there have been in the defence sector in Fife in each year since 1997.

Quentin Davies: Figures for the numbers of MOD civilian personnel who are directly employed at MOD establishments/bases located in the Fife local authority area in each of the years since 1997 where data are available are presented in the following table. Requested information prior to 2007 broken down at local authority level is not available and cannot be compiled without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Table 1: MOD civilian personnel directly employed in MOD establishments/bases located in the Fife local authority area as at 1 January of each year. 
			   Number 
			 2007 790 
			 2008 770 
			 2009 730 
			  Source:  DASA CPS06 
		
	
	Estimates for those people employed directly and indirectly in industry and commerce in Scotland in those companies that receive contracts directly from MOD and indirectly through the supply chain supporting such contracts (for each of the last five years) where data are available are presented in the following table. Requested information prior to 2002-03 broken down at local authority level is not available and cannot be compiled without incurring disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  Table 2: Estimated Direct employment dependent on MOD expenditure in Scotland 
			   Direct  Indirect  Total 
			 2002-03 10,000 2,500 12,500 
			 2003-04 10,000 2,500 12,500 
			 2004-05 9,000 2,500 11,500 
			 2005-06 9,000 2,500 11,500 
			 2006-07 7,000 2,000 9,000 
			  Note: Figures rounded to the nearest 500 jobs  Source:  DASA

Missiles

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tracking system for missiles his Department will use in circumstances in which its proposal to close its base on St. Kilda is implemented.

Quentin Davies: There is no intention to close the St. Kilda base. Under the proposals to rationalise the use of the MOD Hebrides ranges, the more modern G-Band radars based on South Uist would perform the missile tracking role in place of the ageing I-Band NIDIR radars based on St. Kilda.

Navy

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of operating a  (a) Type 22,  (b) Type 23 and  (c) Type 42 vessel was in the last year for which information is available; and what the estimated annual cost of operating a Type 45 vessel is.

Quentin Davies: Operating costs for Royal Navy vessels are not held centrally. Officials are, however, in the process of compiling this information and I will write to you once the work has been completed.
	 Substantive answer from Quentin Davies to Michael Hancock:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question on 1 September 2009 (Official Report, column 1804W) regarding the operating costs for various Royal Navy vessels.
	As you are aware from my previous answer, such costs are not held centrally within the Ministry of Defence. Officials have, however, consolidated the key cost driver information in order to provide you with approximate annual operating costs for Type 22 and Type 23 Frigates, and Type 42 Destroyers. Current estimates of the operating costs for Type 45 Destroyers have also been provided.
	I should first make clear that, as the Type 45 Destroyers have not fully entered service with the Royal Navy, their costs are estimates and not directly comparable with the actual operating costs provided for in-service vessels. This is due to the different cost base information that has been used in determining operating costs for each class of vessel, which is explained below.
	As you will also be aware, in-service Class operating costs are heavily influenced by an individual ship's operational tasking and upkeep/maintenance regime during any particular 12 month period. Direct comparisons can, therefore, be misleading and should be avoided. For the same reasons it is pragmatic to only provide operating costs for each class of ship, rather than for an individual vessel.
	The annual operating cost for the Type 22 Class of Frigates, which comprises four ships, is £129.8M. This is based on information primarily from Financial Year 07/08 the last year for which this information is available, and includes typical day-to-day costs such as fuel and manpower and general support costs covering maintenance, repair and equipment spares. Costs for equipment spares are also included, although these are based on Financial Year 08/09 information as this is the most recent information available. Costs for weapon system support are not included as they could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
	The Type 23 Class of Frigates, comprising 13 vessels, has a combined annual operating cost of £340.3M, This figure is derived in the same way as that for the Type 22 Class cost.
	The annual operating cost of the Type 42 Class of Destroyers, covering a total of eight vessels in the 07/08 period, is £250.8M. The costs have been derived in the same way as the Type 22 and 23 Frigates.
	Turning to the Type 45 Destroyers, their actual running costs cannot be provided as the First of Class, HMS DARING, has not yet entered operational service with the Royal Navy. For the purpose of internal planning, however, estimates have been derived from cost modelling based on a class of six ships, which indicate a support cost of around £188 million per annum for the Class. This figure includes support for weapon systems (including the Sea Viper missile system) but excludes a number of other operational costs, such as berthing and fuel, which have yet to be determined.
	I hope this information is helpful.

Navy: Scalpay

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received reports of the involvement of a Royal Navy submarine in an incident off the Isle of Scalpay on 24 July 2009.

Bill Rammell: A Royal Navy submarine was conducting routine training off the Isle of Scalpay on the 24 July 2009, but it was not involved in any incident. A Scottish Fisheries Protection vessel and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft were also in the area at the time, but these units were not involved in any coordinated activity.

NIDAR Radar System

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often he expects the NIDAR radar system on St. Kilda to be used in each of the next seven years.

Quentin Davies: We are unable to predict how often the I-Band NIDIR radar on St. Kilda will be used in each of the next seven years. They are, however, currently used infrequently and this usage will continue to decline as the majority of the current and planned weapons systems are equipped for G-Band radar tracking.

St. Kilda

Angus MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence by what mechanisms the outer range area will be  (a) monitored and  (b) used by his Department in circumstances in which its proposal to close its base on St. Kilda are implemented.

Quentin Davies: The proposal would not involve the closure of the St. Kilda base. Range area monitoring would also not be affected by this proposal. The surveillance radars on St. Kilda remain but would be remotely controlled and deep range clearance would therefore be unaffected.

Trident

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of his Department's likely expenditure on the Initial Gate phase for Trident.

Bob Ainsworth: The UK's nuclear deterrent comprises a number of elements, including the Trident D5 missile system, the nuclear warhead and the Vanguard Class submarines. Decisions are not required in the near future on the D5 missile or the warhead and neither will be included in the forthcoming Initial Gate business case, which will concentrate on the replacement submarine and associated propulsion system.
	Initial Gate is a decision point in the acquisition process. The final spend on reaching Initial Gate cannot be calculated until after that point is reached; however, the total spend on the replacement submarine and associated propulsion system since the beginning of April 2007 to the end of June 2009 is some £250 million.
	Until Initial Gate decisions are made it is too early to say what the likely expenditure will be for the period between that time and the Main Gate decision point.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when he expects the final Reaper unmanned air system to be delivered;
	(2)  when he expects the third Reaper unmanned air system to be cleared to fly in US airspace;
	(3)  how many flight training hours have been purchased from the United States Air Force to train Royal Air Force crews on the Reaper unmanned air system; and what the cost was of that purchase.

Quentin Davies: The final Reaper unmanned air vehicles are due to be delivered in 2010. I am withholding further details as disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.
	We are delivering the training of UK Reaper mission crews through a combination of places on the US Air Force Reaper Formal Training Unit and the UK Reaper Operational Conversion Course based at Creech Air Force Base, Nevada. I am withholding further details of the support provided by the US Air Force as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests.
	In the longer term, the UK is exploring the viability of basing and flying a UK Reaper unmanned air vehicle in US airspace to support UK mission crew training. We are, however, in the very early stages of this complex process and it is too early to comment on when a UK Reaper unmanned air vehicle might require or receive clearance to fly in US airspace.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Allotments

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his Department's policy is on the provision of allotments by local authorities; what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the matter since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Austin: The provision of allotments is the responsibility of local authorities. Section 23 of the Small Holdings and Allotments Act 1908 places a duty on local authorities (except for inner London boroughs) to provide sufficient allotments where they consider that there is a demand for them in their area.
	Government do not provide a formula for local authorities to determine the number of allotments they should provide. However, the Planning Policy Guidance Note 17: Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation 2002 (PPG17) requires local authorities to make provision for all types of open space and requires them to undertake robust assessments of local needs and audits of existing open space, to establish standards for new provision. The accompanying guidance to PPG17 advises local authorities on setting local standards.
	Given the ever increasing demand for allotments, my Department has recently written to the Government Office responsible for determining applications for consent for disposal of statutory allotments in England on behalf of the Secretary of State, to stress the need to demand and scrutinise evidence from local authorities to support their applications for allotment disposals.
	Growing in the Community, a good practice guide to assist those who manage allotments to work effectively, was published by the Local Government Association in 2001. This was updated in March 2008.

Community Relations: Finance

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been allocated to each group receiving funding under the Prevent Partnership area-based grant in each area since 2008.

Ian Austin: 78 local authorities in England received Prevent funding through Area Based Grant in 2008-09. 82 local authorities received funding in 2009-10. They are:
	
		
			  £ 
			  Region  Local authority  2008-09  2009-10 
			 London London Borough of Hounslow 165,000 218,292 
			  London Borough of Brent 205,000 268,292 
			  London Borough of Ealing 205,000 268,292 
			  London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham 125,000 168,292 
			  London Borough of Harrow 145,000 193,292 
			  London Borough of Hillingdon 125,000 168,292 
			  London Borough of Barking and Dagenham 105,000 143,292 
			  London Borough of Barnet 165,000 218,292 
			  London Borough of Bexley - 143,292 
			  London Borough of Bromley 105,000 143,292 
			  London Borough of Camden 185,000 243,292 
			  London Borough of Croydon 165,000 218,292 
			  London Borough of Enfield 185,000 243,292 
			  London Borough of Greenwich 125,000 168,292 
			  London Borough of Hackney 205,000 268,292 
			  London Borough of Haringey 185,000 243,292 
			  London Borough of Islington 145,000 193,292 
			  London Borough of Lambeth 145,000 193,292 
			  London Borough of Lewisham 125,000 168,292 
			  London Borough of Merton 125,000 168,292 
			  London Borough of Newham 325,000 418,292 
			  London Borough of Redbridge 205,000 268,292 
			  London Borough of Southwark 145,000 193,292 
			  London Borough of Tower Hamlets 365,000 468,292 
			  London Borough of Waltham Forest 225,000 293,292 
			  London Borough of Wandsworth 145,000 193,292 
			  City of Westminster 165,000 218,292 
			  London Borough of Richmond upon Thames - 143,292 
			  London Borough of Sutton 105,000 143,292 
			  Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea 145,000 193,292 
			  London Borough of Kingston upon Thames 105,000 143,292 
			 
			 South West Bristol City Council 125,000 168,292 
			 
			 South East Aylesbury Vale Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Brighton and Hove City Council - 143,292 
			  Crawley Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Oxford City Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Slough Borough Council 145,000 193,292 
			  Reading UA 105,000 143,292 
			  Woking Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Wycombe District Council 125,000 168,292 
			  Southampton City Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Portsmouth Council 105,000 143,292 
			 
			 East of England Bedford Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Luton Borough Council 185,000 243,292 
			  Peterborough City Council 125,000 168,292 
			  Watford Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  St. Albans District Council - 143,292 
			 
			 East Midlands Leicester City Council 205,000 268,292 
			  Derby City Council 125,000 168,292 
			  Nottingham City Council 125,000 168,292 
			  Milton Keynes Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Northampton Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			 
			 West Midlands Birmingham City Council 645,000 818,292 
			  Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council 145,000 193,292 
			  Walsall Council 145,000 193,292 
			  Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Stoke-on-Trent City Council 125,000 168,292 
			  Coventry Council 125,000 168,292 
			  East Staffordshire Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Wolverhampton City Council 105,000 143,292 
			 
			 Yorkshire and Humber Calderdale 125,000 168,292 
			  Leeds City Council 165,000 218,292 
			  Kirklees 245,000 318,292 
			  Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Sheffield Council 185,000 243,292 
			 
			 North East Middlesbrough Borough Council 105,000 143,292 
			  Newcastle City Council 125,000 168,292 
			 
			 North West Bolton 165,000 218,292 
			  Bury 105,000 143,292 
			  Manchester 225,000 293,292 
			  Oldham 185,000 243,292 
			  Rochdale 165,000 218,292 
			  Stockport 105,000 143,292 
			  Tameside 105,000 143,292 
			  Trafford 105,000 143,292 
			  Blackburn and Darwen 185,000 243,292 
			  Burnley 105,000 143,292 
			  Hyndburn 105,000 143,292 
			  Pendle 125,000 168,292 
			  Preston 125,000 168,292 
			  Liverpool 105,000 143,292 
		
	
	Figures for 2009-10 include the additional funding for Prevent announced by the Communities Secretary on 28 August.
	In April 2009 the then Secretary of State provided a list of groups that local authorities funded in 2008-09 using Area Based Grant, in support of their work on Prevent. This information was placed in the House Library.

Council Housing: Rents

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much and what proportion of council rent receipts were remitted to the Government for redistribution in each of the last five years; and how much each local authority received in redistributed rents in each such year.

Ian Austin: Tables containing this information have been placed in the House Library.

Departmental Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to page 11 of his Department's Resource Accounts for 2008-09, HC 449, what the reasons are for the increase in the cost of central administration from 2009-10 to 2010-11; and for what reasons the cost of that increase has not been met from annual efficiency savings.

Ian Austin: The Department's central administration spending plans (as reported in the 2008-09 Resource Accounts) include the ringfenced administration budget, the Department's own capital expenditure and other current expenditure. It is an increase in the budget for other current expenditure that accounts for the reported increase in budgets between 2009-10 and 2010-11. These costs sit outside of the Department's administration budget, on which it is expected to deliver 5 per cent. annual efficiency savings. Plans for administration spending in 2009-10 and 2010-11 take full account of the efficiency savings required.

Departmental Manpower

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff in his Department are employed in a non-party political advisory role on a fixed-term contract for up to 12 months; and how many such staff have been recruited in the last 12 months.

Ian Austin: Civil servants provide impartial advice to Ministers whether employed on fixed-term, permanent or other recognised contractual terms. At 31 July 2009, Communities and Local Government employed 59.5 Full Time Equivalent staff on fixed-term contracts.
	In the 12 month period to 31 August 2009, our personnel records show that Communities and Local Government made 17 appointments on fixed-term contracts of up to 12 months.

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 16 July 2009,  Official Report, column 656W, on Tony Clements, whether Mr Clements  (a) held a previous position in and  (b) acted as a consultant to his Department prior to his appointment as a policy adviser in the Department.

Ian Austin: Tony Clements has neither held a previous position in the Department nor acted as a consultant to the Department.

Departmental Property

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what Crown Estate properties his Department owns; and what the  (a) most recent assessed market and  (b) book value is of each such property.

Ian Austin: I refer to the Department for Communities and Local Government Resources Accounts 2008-09 (for year ended 31 March 2009) available on the website
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/corporate/pdf/1299006.pdf
	As at 31 March 2009 the following properties were revalued professionally in accordance with RICS Valuations Standards, by ATISReal Limited-Chartered Surveyors and International Real Estates Consultants.
	Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, Broad Sanctuary, London was valued during March 2009 by ATISReal. The total valuation was reported at £25,000,000 but with a value of £21,500,000 in the Department's books because of a trading fund outside interest in the property.
	Burlington House, Piccadilly, London was valued during March 2009 by ATISReal, at £250,000. Due to the Department's reversionary interest in the property a detailed reinspection was not carried out for the 2009 report.
	Fire Experimental Unit Offices and Stores, (on the Fire Service College site) Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire was valued during March 2009 by ATISReal. The total valuation was reported at £1,700,000.
	Hanger97, Little Rissington, Gloucestershire was valued during March 2009 by ATISReal Chartered Surveyors. The total valuation was reported at £700,000.

Government Departments: Carbon Emissions

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate she has made of the annual emissions savings which would be realised if all Government department headquarters buildings were fully to implement the recommendations made in respect of their assessments for energy performance certificates; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: We have not made such an estimate. Energy performance certificates (EPCs) are required on sale, rent or construction of all non-domestic properties from October 2008. Prior to this, EPCs were required on sale, rent or construction of non-domestic properties over 10,000 m(2) from April 2008 and over 2,500 m(2) from July 2008. Few Government department headquarter buildings would have required an EPC since their introduction.

Government Office for London: Manpower

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many  (a) directors,  (b) senior managers,  (c) specialists and  (d) executive support and administration staff are employed by the Government Office for London (GOL); how many such staff are (i) on secondment from each Government department, (ii) employed directly by GOL on permanent contracts and (iii) employed directly by GOL on temporary contracts; and what the planned total salary cost is for each group of such staff in 2009-10.

Rosie Winterton: The following table sets out permanent, seconded and temporary staff paid for by GOL as at August 2009 and the projected salary costs for each group for 2009-10.
	
		
			   Staff seconded to GOL from departments and other organisations 
			  Staff  Department  Number of staff  Permanent GOL Staff  Fixed term appointments and agency staff  Total staff  Total salary cost (£) 
			 Directors and Deputy Directors (senior managers) DWP 1 0 0 9 975,236 
			  CLG 3 
			  HO 1 
			  DCSF 2 
			  DFT 2 
			
			 Specialists Cabinet Office 1 6 0 8 451,486 
			  CLG 1 
			
			 All other staff CLG 9 159 8 183 8,630,033 
			  HO 1 
			  MOJ 2 
			  Defra 1 
			  Other 3 
			
			 Salary cost (£)  1,774,830 8,138,929 142,995 200 10,056,755

Housing: Barnet

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what bids for housing capital finance by  (a) Barnet Council,  (b) Barratt Homes and  (c) housing associations in respect of housing projects in Barnet have been (i) made, (ii) granted, (iii) refused and (iv) remain to be taken up after being granted to (A) central Government directly, (B) the Housing Corporation and (C) the Homes and Communities Agency for (1) affordable loans for subsidised purchase and (2) social housing for rent; under what schemes each bid was made; and what the (x) sum bid for, (y) number of properties involved and (z) proposed tenure mix was in each case.

Ian Austin: The following table shows bids received, approved and rejected through the Homes and Communities Agency's (HCA) (and prior to 1 December 2008 the Housing Corporation's) Affordable Housing Programme (AHP) in 2008-09 for low cost home ownership and social housing for rent. These bids were made by registered social landlords and other providers for schemes sponsored in Barnet. Bids received from Barrett Homes totalled £0.3 million for eight units in 2008-09 and are included in the low cost home ownership bid figure. Barnet council did not bid for AHP funding from the HCA in 2008-09.
	The balance between all bids and the sum of allocations made and bids rejected can be due to withdrawal of scheme, decision pending or scheme being resubmitted.
	
		
			   All bids received 2008-09 
			  HCA affordable housing programme  Grant (£ million)  Units 
			 Total social rent 116.8 770 
			 Total low cost home ownership 16.4 322 
			 Grand total 134.1 1,353 
		
	
	
		
			   Allocations made 2008-09 
			  HCA affordable housing programme  Grant (£ million)  Units 
			 Total social rent 76.0 494 
			 Total low cost home ownership 11.8 235 
			 Grand total 87.8 729 
		
	
	
		
			   All rejected 2008-09 
			  HCA affordable housing programme  Grant (£ million)  Units 
			 Total social rent 37.1 249 
			 Total low cost home ownership 2.9 59 
			 Grand total 40.9 569 
		
	
	In addition, Barrett Developments PLC has been short listed for HCA Kickstart programme funding in July 2009 for a development of the 'Stonegrove' project in Edgware, which is now undergoing a process of due diligence before the HCA confirms if it will support each scheme. The shortlist has been published at:
	http://www.homesandcommunities.co.uk/kickstart-response-shows-industry-appetite?p=3
	Other programmes within CLG do not provide homes for social rent or affordable loans for subsidised purchase.

Housing: Valuation

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many dwellings in  (a) England and  (b) Wales have a conservatory according to records held by the Valuation Office Agency.

Rosie Winterton: As at 2 September 2009, the number in England was 790,429. Matters in Wales are the responsibility of the Welsh Assembly Government.

LLM Communications

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the answer of 21 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 1661-2W, on LLM Communications, which Minister in his Department authorised the payment to LLM Communications for services in respect of the Campaign for More and Better Housing.

John Healey: In 2006 the then Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, West (Ruth Kelly), granted the Campaign for More and Better Homes £25,000 + VAT to help fund a series of regional housing debates.

Local Government Ombudsman

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what mechanisms are in place for oversight of the work of the Local Government Ombudsman; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Through the Local Government Act 1974 Parliament has established the local government ombudsman as independent of both central Government and local government. Parliament has required the ombudsman to present an annual report to it and the ombudsman's decisions, including on individual cases, can be subject to judicial review by the courts.

Local Government Ombudsman

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future oversight of the work of the Local Government Ombudsman; and what representations he has received on the creation of a body to oversee that work.

Rosie Winterton: Through the Local Government Act 1974 Parliament has established the local government ombudsman as independent of both central Government and local government. Parliament has required the ombudsman to present an annual report to it and the ombudsman's decisions, including on individual cases, can be subject to judicial review by the courts. We consider this sufficient.
	The Department occasionally receives correspondence or take telephone calls from members of the public seeking clarification on who supervises the work of the ombudsman.

Local Government: Pensions

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of the Local Government Pension Scheme in respect of arrangements for  (a) new and  (b) current local government employees; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The affordability, viability and the fairness of the Local Government Pension Scheme to taxpayers is kept under regular review. The triennial actuarial valuation exercise of all 89 Scheme pension funds ensures that their pension liabilities can be met, sets affordable employer contribution rates and maintains on-going stability and discipline in overall funding. Regulatory changes to ensure an equitable balance between employers' and members' contributions towards the cost of providing pensions are already in place. If further amendments to the Scheme became necessary, a consultation with Scheme stakeholders will take place, as required by the Superannuation Act 1972.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will make it his policy to extend Small Business Rate Relief to cover enterprises with an annual turnover of less than £500,000; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Government have no plans to make such a change. The Small Business Rate Relief scheme is based on the rateable value of premises and is targeted at small businesses occupying premises with low rateable values. Billing authorities do not hold the data on businesses occupying property liable for business rates which would be necessary to base eligibility for Small Business Rate Relief on business turnover rather than the rateable value of their property.

Non-Domestic Rates: Public Consultation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has plans to  (a) extend the closing date of his Department's consultation on transitional arrangements for the non-domestic rating revaluation 2010 in England and  (b) bring forward the publication date of the 2010 ratings list, in order to make available to companies details of their updated rateable values before such companies make submissions to that consultation.

Rosie Winterton: We have no plans to extend the closing date for the consultation on the transitional arrangements or to bring forward the publication of the draft 2010 rating lists. The closing date for the consultation of 23 September is required to ensure regulations implementing the transitional arrangements can be made by the end of December 2009 as required by statute. The draft rating lists and summary valuations will not be ready for publication before 30 September.

Standards Board for England: Public Relations

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the Standards Board for England has incurred expenditure on external public relations companies in the last 18 months.

Rosie Winterton: Out of their budget of £8.2 million for 2008-09 and £7.4 million for 2009-10, which we have provided for the Standards Board for England, the Board spent £416,000 in 2008-09 and plans to spend £325,000 in 2009-10 on external public relations, including outsourcing the production of guidance and training materials for local authorities and the organisation of its Annual Assembly of Standards Committees.

Sustainable Development

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of sustainable procurement policies in each region; and what account he expects to be taken of such policies in the setting of annual carbon budgets.

John Healey: Regional Development Agencies and local authorities are autonomous bodies responsible for taking their own procurement decisions, subject to the requirements of domestic and European legislation and to the ELV UK regulatory framework. Ministers have no ability to intervene in individual procurement decisions. Existing guidance to local authorities recommends that they take account of sustainability and quality when considering both service delivery options and service suppliers.
	Regional Development Agencies are working closely with Government to improve the basis for sustainable procurement, and the RDA Sustainable Procurement Working Group is working to align policies and practices in a consistent fashion across all RDAs.
	In November 2007, the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) in conjunction with the Local Government Association (LGA) and the North East Centre of Excellence, published a 'Sustainable Procurement Strategy for Local Government' which included a route map of actions for local authorities to ensure they are compatible with the principles of sustainable procurement and development. The IDeA concluded that many local authorities have already attained significant progress in meeting their target to drive up standards in sustainable procurement.
	There is no requirement for regions to have carbon budgets. However, we will expect regions to contribute fully to the delivery of the Low Carbon Transition Plan and the Renewable Energy Strategy, including regional targets for the delivery of renewables. The national performance framework for local authorities includes indicators on reducing carbon emissions in their areas, and from their operations, and a large number of authorities have chosen to include these indicators in their Local Area Agreement. The recent consultation document: Strengthening Local Democracy set out proposals on how local authorities could further contribute to meeting national carbon emission targets perhaps through developing their own local carbon budgets. It will be for regional and local authorities to determine how they might meet regional and/or local targets and the role which sustainable procurement policies could play in doing so.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities and regional planning bodies on the conduct of and methodology for Gypsy and Traveller accommodation assessments (GTAAs); whether it is his Department's policy that GTAAs should take into account the extent to which the provision of new traveller sites is likely to attract residents from outside the  (a) local authority and  (b) study area; and what guidance his Department has issued on the extent to which such potential demand should be reflected in assessments of need.

Ian Austin: Communities and Local Government published guidance on Gypsy and Traveller Accommodation Needs Assessments in October 2007.
	The guidance provides advice to local authorities on carrying out assessments of the accommodation needs of Gypsies and Travellers. It states that the exact approach will need to be adapted to local circumstances.
	The responsibility for carrying out the assessment rests with individual local authorities. However, the guidance strongly recommends that local authorities work in partnership with neighbouring authorities. Such an approach will provide a better understanding of migration into, out of, and within the survey area and a better understanding of travelling patterns, particularly where they cross administrative boundaries, factors which must be understood if appropriate provision is to be made.
	The guidance advises that the most accurate possible projection of future as well as current need, covering the next 5-10 years, should be made in the assessment. This would include analysis of travelling patterns within the survey area and in and out of surrounding areas; the likely rate of household formation and annual population increase and the intentions of those households planning to move.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local planning authorities on whether likely effect on property values is a material consideration in assessing planning applications for Traveller sites.

Ian Austin: Guidance on what matters may be considered as material considerations in assessing planning applications is set out in the 'The Planning System: General Principles', which is an Annex to PPS1. This confirms that material considerations must be genuine planning considerations, i.e. they must be related to the development and use of land in the public interest. The considerations must also fairly and reasonably relate to the application. Ultimately, the Courts are the arbiters of what constitutes a material consideration.
	, has established that the impact of the proposed development on purely private interests cannot generally constitute a material consideration.

Travelling People: Caravan Sites

Philip Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 February 2009,  Official Report, column 1700W, on planning permission, what guidance has been provided to local planning authorities on equality and diversity in decisions on planning applications relating to Travellers.

Ian Austin: Planning policy for Gypsy and Traveller sites is contained in ODPM Circular 01/06 Planning for Gypsy and Traveller Caravan Sites. This confirms that Gypsies and Travellers have the same rights and responsibilities within the planning system as all other applicants for planning permission. The Circular includes guidance highlighting the general duty that local authorities have under the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 to actively seek to eliminate unlawful discrimination and to promote equality of opportunity and good relations in all they do. This duty does not give Gypsies and Travellers a right to establish sites in contravention of planning control.

JUSTICE

International Criminal Court

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals for the amendment of the International Criminal Court Act 2001 to allow those suspected of committing genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity prior to 2001 to be prosecuted in UK courts.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement on 7 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 41-42WS. The statement confirmed that we will bring forward amendments to the Coroners and Justice Bill for consideration at Report stage of the Bill. We intend, as far as is permissible under the legal principles applicable to retrospection, to cover the categories of crime of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity from 1 January 1991.

Arrests: Bicycles

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people were  (a) arrested,  (b) charged with and  (c) convicted of being under the influence of alcohol while in charge of a bicycle in (i) Test Valley Borough and (ii) Southampton in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people were  (a) arrested for,  (b) charged with and  (c) convicted of being under the influence of illegal drugs while riding a bicycle on a public road in (i) Test Valley Borough and (ii) Southampton in each of the last five years.

Alan Campbell: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested on arrests is not collected centrally. The arrests collection held by the Home Office covers arrests for recorded crime (notifiable offences) only, broken down at a main offence group level, covering categories such as violence against the person and robbery. The alcohol related offences presented in the table are not notifiable offences and do not form part of the arrests collection.
	Information showing the number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts for the offences Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs under section 30 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act and Being drunk in charge of a carriage, horse, cattle or steam engine under section 12 of the 1872 Licensing Act, in the Hampshire Police Force Area from 2003 to 2007 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	The Ministry of Justice do not centrally collect charging data; proceeded against information has been provided in lieu. Data are not collected centrally below police force area; therefore information relating to Test Valley borough and Southampton cannot be provided.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under the offences Pedal cyclist driving under the influence of drink or drugs( 1)  (section 30 of the 1988 Road Traffic Act) and Being drunk while in charge on any highway or other public place of any carriage( 2) , horse, cattle or steam engine (section 12 of the 1872 Licensing Act), in the Hampshire Police Force Area, 2003 to 2007( 3,4) 
			   Statute 
			   Section 30 1988 Road Traffic Act  Section 12 1872 Licensing Act 
			  Proceeded against   
			 2003 4 6 
			 2004 3 1 
			 2005 2 - 
			 2006 3 1 
			 2007 1 1 
			
			  Found guilty   
			 2003 3 3 
			 2004 2 1 
			 2005 2 - 
			 2006 2 1 
			 2007 1 1 
			 (1) The number of persons proceeded against and found guilty for driving under the influence of drinks or drugs cannot be separately identified under this statute. (2) A bicycle, whether ridden or pushed, is a carriage within the meaning of this offence. The number of persons proceeded against or found guilty of being drunk in charge of a carriage cannot be separated from those involving a horse, cattle or steam engine. (3) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit-Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Bankruptcy

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many people have  (a) entered into an individual voluntary arrangement and  (b) been declared bankrupt in (i) York, (ii) North Yorkshire, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England in each relevant year since 1979;
	(2)  how many court orders have been issued for the repossession of homes in  (a) York,  (b) North Yorkshire,  (c) Yorkshire and Humberside and  (d) England in each year since 1979.

Michael Wills: Data on the number of mortgage possession claims in the county courts leading to an order being made for homes in York, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and Humberside and England for 2000 to 2008 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of mortgage possession claims leading to an order being made for homes in York, North Yorkshire, Yorkshire and Humberside and England 2000-08 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008 
			 York UA 115 115 65 90 95 145 200 185 205 
			 North Yorkshire 345 330 255 250 275 495 525 600 760 
			 Yorkshire and the Humberside 5,395 5,145 3,995 3,735 3,945 6,165 8,240 9,145 11,770 
			 England 41,630 39,670 35,485 36,165 42,055 64,100 81,640 84,610 103,780 
			  Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Ministry of Justice 
		
	
	Corresponding figures for earlier years are not available. The statistics showing mortgage possession claims in the county courts leading to an order being made, broken down by local authority based on the locations of the properties which were the subject of the possession actions, were published for the first time by the Ministry of Justice in August 2009. These can be found on the Ministry's website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/mortgagelandlordpossession.htm.
	Statistics broken down by individual court for 1987 onwards can also be found on the Ministry of Justice website.
	These figures do not indicate how many homes have actually been repossessed. Repossessions can occur without a court order being made, while not all court orders result in repossession.
	The Ministry of Justice does not hold data on the number of people who have entered into individual voluntary arrangement or have been declared bankrupt. Figures published by the Ministry of Justice show the number of bankruptcy petitions presented to the courts and therefore are not exact measures of bankruptcies. Court level statistics on bankruptcy petitions from 2007 onwards are available on the Ministry of Justice website at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/companywindingupandbankruptcy.
	These figures are not available broken down by local authority.
	The insolvency service publishes statistics on a quarterly basis on individual voluntary arrangement and individual insolvencies. The data can be accessed on their website at:
	http://www.insolvency.gov.uk/otherinformation/statistics/insolv.htm

Convictions

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions there have been for offences under the Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980.

Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply
	There have been no convictions under the Protection of Trading Interests Act 1980 during the last five years. An investigation into whether there have been any convictions prior to this is likely to involve disproportionate expense.

Copyright: Music

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have been convicted of offences of copying music stored on a compact disc to a digital format for their own personal use in each of the last 20 years.

Claire Ward: Personal copying is a civil matter and not a criminal offence. As a result, there are no criminal convictions in relation to such an activity. Copying from one media to another becomes a criminal offence under Section 107 of the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988 only if conducted on a scale prejudicial to the interests of the legitimate rights holder, or in the course of business.

Crime: Internet

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what guidance is given to the judiciary on the gravity of instances of online child abuse.

Jack Straw: In April 2007, the independent Sentencing Guidelines Council published a definitive guideline on the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This includes guidance to the judiciary on the offences of child prostitution, child pornography and 'Grooming'.
	This and all other published guidelines can be viewed at
	www.sentencing-guidelines.gov.uk

Departmental Invoices

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in June 2009.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) is fully committed to achieving compliance with the Prime Minister's target of paying suppliers within 10 days where possible, and is a signatory to the Prompt Payment Code. The MOJ has only been collecting performance data for the proportion of invoices paid within 10 days of receipt of a supplier invoice since November 2008. Performance since that date is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Percentage paid within 10 day target  Number of invoices paid within 10 days 
			 November 2008 64 63,307 
			 December 2008 59 58,743 
			 January 2009 55 57,679 
			 February 2009 67 67,693 
			 March 2009 66 82,116 
			 April 2009 82 65,422 
			 May 2009 92 61,462 
			 June 2009 88 73,539 
		
	
	The Ministry has recognised that its performance against the target must improve, and has implemented a prompt payment improvement programme to address the issue. The results from April in the table indicate that this is having an effect, and further improvements will be evident as the programme progresses.

Departmental Marketing

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on (i) publicity and (ii) advertising in 2008-09.

Jack Straw: I apologise to the hon. and learned gentleman for the unacceptable delay in answering this question.
	 (a) The Ministry's accounting records do not distinguish between expenditure on advertising and publicity. Work to differentiate the two components would incur disproportionate cost. Combined expenditure during 2008-09 was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 1,976,102 
			 HM courts service 486,233 
			 Tribunals service 41,303 
			 Office of the public guardian 39,000 
			 National offender management service (NOMS) (1)3,409,968 
			 Total: 5,952,607 
			 (1) The figure shown for NOMS is recorded as recruitment expenditure on their accounting system. 
		
	
	Over 95 per cent. of the Ministry's expenditure on advertising and promotion relates to recruitment, with the majority of recruitment activity being within NOMS to ensure sufficient prison officers are in post to operate effectively the prison system.
	As a result, the figure for NOMS may include other recruitment expenditure, not considered to be publicity and advertising. Work to split out publicity and advertising spend from the total recruitment amount would incur disproportionate cost.
	The NOMS figure also excludes expenditure by the 42 local probation boards and trusts whose records are held locally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost. A one-off exercise undertaken in 2007-08 found that expenditure on advertising and promotion by local probation boards and trusts was £58,264. There are no current plans to repeat this information-gathering exercise for 2008-09.
	 (b) To collate information for all of the Ministry's non-departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) would incur disproportionate cost. However, the expenditure of the Ministry's three largest NDPBs which account for 97 per cent. of NDPB expenditure (excluding Legal Aid) is as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Criminal injuries compensation authority 91,312 
			 Youth justice board 585,187 
			 Legal services commission (2)367,000 
			 (2) The legal services commission did not record any expenditure on advertising for 2008-09. The figure of £367,000 provided is for publicity spend only. 
		
	
	2008-09 accounts are still being finalised by the Ministry, its agencies and NDPBs. Figures may therefore be subject to adjustment during the annual audit process.

Departmental Plants

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department spent on  (a) pot plants and  (b) cut flowers in 2008-09.

Jack Straw: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in answering this question.
	The information requested is set out as follows and covers expenditure for pot plants and cut flowers during 2008-09 for the Ministry of Justice headquarters and Her Majesty's Courts Service:
	 (a) Pot plants-£23,824.49(1)
	 (b) Cut flowers-£5,935.77(1)
	(1) Excluding VAT
	While there is a very slight increase in the cost of pot plants on the year 2007-08, the overall cost of plants and flowers incurred by the MoJ in the year 2008-09 has been significantly reduced. As consolidation of the MoJ estate evolves it is anticipated these numbers will reduce further.
	Upon re-tender of the Facilities Management contract, the provision of cut flowers was seen as an area for immediate cost reduction and duly ceased in August 2008.
	There is a slight decrease in the figure given for cut flowers in comparison to an earlier answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Garston (Maria Eagle), Minister of State for Justice, to the hon. Member for South-West Surrey (Mr. Hunt) on 2 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1257W. This is due to the earlier figure being based on an annual budget figure and the current figure being based on actual yearly expenditure, which was slightly less than what was originally budgeted for.
	The figures do not include costs from the Tribunal Service or the National Offender Management Service as no separate accounting code is used to record pot plants or cut flowers and to obtain this information would require a manual trawl of each division at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what expenditure his Department incurred on  (a) entertainment,  (b) advertising and promotion and  (c) public relations consultancy in 2008-09.

Jack Straw: I apologise to the hon. and learned Gentleman for the unacceptable delay in answering this question.
	
		
			  (a) Entertainment  £ 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 3,774 
			 HM Courts Service 1,041 
			 Tribunals Service 747 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 0 
			 Total 5,562 
		
	
	The Ministry's other agency, the National Offender Management Service, does not record expenditure on entertainment separately from expenditure on hospitality. Combined expenditure on hospitality and entertainment in 2008-09 was £238,039. To separately identify entertainment expenditure would incur disproportionate cost but it is likely to be a small percentage of the total figure.
	The figure for the National Offender Management Service excludes expenditure by the 42 local probation boards and trusts whose records are held locally and could currently be collated only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  (b) Advertising and promotion  £ 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 1,976,102 
			 HM Courts Service 486,233 
			 Tribunals Service 41,303 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 39,000 
			 National Offender Management Service (NOMS) 3,409,968 
			 Total 5,952,607 
		
	
	Except for NOMS, the figures quoted are for advertising and publicity which are recorded as a combined expenditure category within the Ministry's accounting system. The Ministry does not have a separately identifiable expenditure category for promotion.
	The figure shown for NOMS is recorded as recruitment expenditure on their accounting system.
	As a result, the figure for NOMS may include other recruitment expenditure, not considered to be publicity and advertising. Work to split out publicity and advertising spend from the total recruitment amount would incur disproportionate cost.
	The NOMS figure also excludes expenditure by the 42 local probation boards and trusts whose records are held locally and could be collated only at disproportionate cost. A one-off exercise undertaken in 2007-08 found that expenditure on advertising and promotion by local probation boards and trusts was £58,264. In the light of the hon. and learned Member's question, I have asked for advice on the cost of mounting a similar exercise in respect of 2008-09.
	 (c) Public relations consultancy
	The Ministry does not distinguish between different types of consultancy expenditure in its accounting records. Analysing expenditure to determine the amount that relates to public relations would incur disproportionate cost. Such an exercise was last undertaken in 2007-08 and found that expenditure on public relations consultancy was £290,476. There are no current plans to repeat this information-gathering exercise for 2008-09.
	All the figures provided are unaudited.
	All expenditure incurred is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Training

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much his Department has spent on health and safety training in each of the last two years.

Jack Straw: The expenditure on Health and Safety Training by the Ministry is stated as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			  2008-09  
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 47,366 
			 HM Courts Service 286,805 
			 Tribunals Service 21,523 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 500 
			 Total 356,194 
			   
			  2007-08  
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 60,441 
			 HM Courts Service 293,552 
			 Tribunals Service 19,810 
			 Office of the Public Guardian 500 
			 Total 374,303 
		
	
	The expenditure incurred is for external training courses only with the use of approved Health and Safety training consultants.
	To supplement these external courses, internal Health and Safety training is provided across the Ministry by in-house staff. To obtain an accurate figure for this would incur disproportionate cost.
	The National Offender Management Service employs over 50,000 staff in more than 140 locations. At present, there is no single central point for management information relating to health and safety training for staff. To obtain the information requested would involve identifying and contacting sources of information in many different locations and would thus incur disproportionate costs.

Departmental Work Experience

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what provision is made to enable students to undertake work experience in his Department; by what means members of the public may obtain information about work experience in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: While comprehensive information is not held centrally, records indicate that during the period 1 September 2008 to 31 August 2009 over 420 students have undertaken work experience.
	The Department advertises its provision through, and members of the public may obtain placements, via:
	Internships, such as those offered by the civil service-wide Ethnic Minority Summer Development Programme and Disability Summer Placement Scheme
	Connections with local schools, colleges and universities
	Local authority educational business partnerships
	The Careers Advisory Service
	Registered charities such as the Trident Trust
	Students and their parents applying directly to courts, tribunals and other MOJ offices locally.

Fines: Drivers

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what average fine was imposed for the offence of driving uninsured against third party risks in each of the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: The average fine imposed at magistrates courts and at the Crown court for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks in England and Wales for the years 1998 to 2007 (latest available) is shown in the following table.
	Data for 2008 will be available in the autumn of 2009.
	
		
			  The average fine (£) imposed at the magistrates' court and the Crown court for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks( 1) , England and Wales, 1998 to 2007( 2,3) 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003( 4)  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Magistrates courts 214 212 203 150 155 160 169 177 185 194 
			 The Crown court 156 193 183 214 150 142 167 185 339 201 
			 (1) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s.143 (2) (2) It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences may be less than complete. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) As from 1 June 2003, 'driving a motor vehicle while uninsured against third party risks' became a fixed penalty offence.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform-Evidence and Analysis Unit

Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many flags his Department owns; and what the cost was of maintaining such flags in the latest year for which figures are available.

Jack Straw: The number of flags within Ministry of Justice HQ is currently 13. This is due to two flag poles with multiple flags at both 102 Petty France and Selborne House (a building which we no longer occupy).
	Data on the number of flags within HM Courts Service are not held centrally by HMCS Estates nor the Regional Estates Offices and the Judges Lodgings Management Team. Detailed information on the number of flags would necessitate calls to individual courts/lodgings with flag poles and can be collated only at disproportionate costs.
	Every prison establishment within NOMS has a Union Flag and Prison Service Flag. There are 122 Public Sector Prisons with 244 flags.
	The latest expenditure on flag maintenance by the Ministry in the financial year 2008-09 is stated as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Ministry of Justice HQ 1,127 
			 HM courts service (1)35,743 
			 Tribunals service 0 
			 Office of the public guardian 0 
			 Total 36,870 
			 (1) Of the £35,743 for HM courts service, £24,052 was incurred on the provision and removal of flags, as well as flag maintenance. It is not possible to separate the two elements without a detail review of invoices that would incur disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	Flag maintenance expenditure includes the testing, inspection and surveying of the flags to ensure that they are in full operating condition.
	Every flag pole/mast is inspected each year by the maintenance department held locally by prisons and probation boards/trusts of the National Offenders Management Service and the information can be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Fraud: Unemployment Benefits

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convictions for offences related to fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits there were in  (a) England,  (b) the East of England,  (c) Essex and  (d) Castle Point in each of the last 10 years.

Helen Goodman: I have been asked to reply.
	Information relating to the number of convictions for offences relating to fraudulent claims for jobseeker's allowance is not available.
	However, information is available for the number of people convicted for benefit fraud cases for all Department for Work and Pensions-administered benefits in each of the last five years. I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 14 July 2009,  Official Report, column 289W, to the hon. Member for North Down (Lady Hermon).

Freedom of Information

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hon. Members have referred responses to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the Information Commission in each of the last three years; and in each case how many such referrals were not resolved after 12 months of consideration.

Michael Wills: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is the independent authority responsible for enforcing the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
	Information about the numbers of complaints referred by hon. Members to the ICO and the time taken to resolve them is set out as follows. However, it should be noted that this information was identified on the basis of complaints made from a respondent address of the Palace of Westminster. It does not include referrals made by hon. Members from their constituency or other address or from MEPs or MSPs.
	
		
			   Number of hon. Members  Total number of cases  Resolved in over 12 months 
			 2006-07 16 17 7 
			 2007-08 28 44 5 
			 2008-09 32 72 2 
			 2009-10 (to 25 August 2009) 8 13 - 
		
	
	The ICO is committed to resolving cases as efficiently as possible, and is improving its closure rates despite large increases in the volume of case receipts since the introduction of the Act.
	This information was provided by the ICO.

International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent progress has been made towards ratifying the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: The International Convention will be an important tool for preventing enforced disappearance and secret detention in the future. The UK was active throughout the negotiations to draft the convention, and we supported its adoption last year at both the UN Human Rights Council and the UN General Assembly.
	It is however the long-standing practice of the UK not to sign international treaties unless we have a firm and realistic intention to ratify within a reasonable time-frame.
	The Government have therefore been conducting a detailed analysis of the provisions of the convention. This has included analysis of the need to replicate common law provisions in statute law and to create one or more specific new criminal offences, as well as consideration of the need for any reservations or declarations upon ratification. It is now clear that a potentially substantial volume of primary legislation will be necessary to give effect to certain provisions of the convention before the United Kingdom can ratify it. Given that this will require preparation and then parliamentary time, it is not currently possible to set a timetable.

Legal Aid

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for legal aid from residents in  (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford and  (b) the London Borough of Bexley were granted in each of the last three years.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) does not record the grant of legal aid by constituency or borough. The following tables show the numbers granted in the areas requested, based on providers within the following postcodes covering those areas.
	Bexleyheath-DA6 and DA7
	Crayford-DAI
	LB Bexley-DAI, DA5, DA6, DA7, DA8, DA14, DA15, DA16, DA17, DA18
	
		
			  Table 1: Instances of civil legal help reported by providers (excluding matters started under the community legal advice telephone advice scheme) 
			  Financial year  Area  New matter starts 
			 2006-07 Bexleyheath and Crayford 1,330 
			  LB Bexley 1,972 
			
			 2007-08 Bexleyheath and Crayford 1,199 
			  LB Bexley 1,510 
			
			 2008-09 Bexleyheath and Crayford 1,599 
			  LB Bexley 2,340 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Civil representation certificates granted by the LSC 
			  Financial year  Area  Certificates 
			 2006-07 Bexleyheath and Crayford 473 
			  LB Bexley 662 
			
			 2007-08 Bexleyheath and Crayford 456 
			  LB Bexley 603 
			
			 2008-09 Bexleyheath and Crayford 507 
			  LB Bexley 671

Legal Aid

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost to his Department of implementing best value tendering for criminal legal aid;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effects of his Department's expenditure of best value tendering for criminal legal aid over  (a) the full contracting cycle and  (b) the next five years.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) published a response to consultation on Best Value Tendering (BVT) of criminal defence services on 20 July 2009 and a copy has been placed in the House Library. The response sets out the LSC's intention to pilot BVT in Greater Manchester and Avon and Somerset during the period of the next criminal contract, which will take effect in July 2010 and is expected to run until 2013.
	The estimated administrative cost of implementing a Best Value Tendering (BVT) pilot is £748,000 in 2009-10 and £263,000 in 2010-11. A breakdown of the main areas of expenditure is set out in the following table and includes some upfront development costs which would not be reincurred if BVT were subsequently implemented outside the pilot areas. These figures relate to the costs of implementation and exclude costs associated with policy development or consultation.
	
		
			   £000 
			  Item  Costs 2009-10  Costs 2010-11 
			 Staff costs and changes to administrative systems 473 263 
			 Auction, including auction prototype and provider training and support 250 n/a 
			 Pilot review(1) 25 n/a 
			
			 Total 748 263 
			 (1) the costs of the pilot review are subject to revision once the scope and method of review have been determined. 
		
	
	The aim of BVT is to secure a sustainable future for criminal legal aid services over the longer term by enabling prices to reflect local costs of delivery. It is impossible to predict the outcome of a competitive tender exercise as prices are expected to vary depending on the costs of providing a service in a particular area and the nature of the local market. While the Government have always recognised that prices could increase in some areas, it expects that BVT would encourage greater efficiencies on the part of legal aid providers and lead to some savings overall. However, we cannot be precise about what those savings might be.
	No decisions have been made about implementing BVT outside of the two pilot areas and this will be dependent on the outcome of a full evaluation of the pilots in 2012. Any such wider implementation would not begin before the next contracting cycle is due to begin in 2013.
	The pilot tender exercise will provide a much clearer indication of the savings or costs in the pilot areas, and will enable the LSC to estimate the potential cost impact if BVT were to be rolled out more widely from 2013.

Legal Aid

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the number of solicitors working on criminal legal aid cases of the use of best value tendering.

Bridget Prentice: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) published a response to consultation on Best Value Tendering (BVT) of criminal defence services on 20 July 2009 and a copy has been placed in the House Library. The response sets out the LSC's intention to pilot BVT in Greater Manchester and Avon and Somerset from 2010 and to evaluate the pilot in 2012 before making any decisions on implementing BVT in further areas.
	BVT will not affect the total volume of criminal legal aid work available within a particular area, but there is the potential for many different outcomes in terms of who secures contracts, and within this there is the potential that some current providers will not be successful. However, we expect that other providers will secure greater volumes of work and may be able to expand and take on staff. BVT is also expected to encourage efficiencies on the part of providers and so may have an impact on the way in which firms choose to structure themselves.
	With respect to the number of firms, the LSC will require a minimum number of between four and eight firms in each scheme in the pilot areas. However, the maximum number of firms that potentially could win BVT contracts is much higher. The BVT pilot model sets a low minimum bid size in order to enable firms of all sizes to compete on an equal basis. The impact assessment, included within the consultation response, contains more detail on the potential impact on the structure of the market in the two pilot areas.

National Crime Reduction Board: Meetings

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many meetings of the National Crime Reduction Board he has attended in the last 12 months.

Jack Straw: Other diary commitments have prevented my attendance at meetings of the National Crime Reduction Board (NCRB) during the last 12 months. However, members of my ministerial team have attended all NCRB meetings during that period and reported back to me.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate has been made of the number of people to be employed by each director of offender management in England and Wales in 2009-10.

Maria Eagle: Staffing levels within each Director of Offender Management's office are shown in the table. To bring the respective area and regional offender management organisations of the Prison and Probation Services together effectively the Regional Restructure Project was commissioned and implementation of the model began in April 2009. It provides a framework on which every new regional office will operate around a core structure, with similar roles being carried out nationally by individuals of the same grade. A number of other roles also exist, outside of the core structure, but which report into the Director of Offender Management. The core structure involves the same number of roles in each region, with variation in the number of posts depending on the geography and size of the region.
	
		
			  Director of Offender Management-as at 31 August 2009 
			  DOMs office  Headcount (core and non-core) 
			 East Midlands 84 
			 East of England 52 
			 London 48 
			 North East 53 
			 North West 123 
			 South East 109 
			 South West 43 
			 Wales Cymru 30 
			 West Midlands 63 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 41 
			 DOMS office total headcount 646

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many staff were working in an offender management role in each year since 2003.

Jack Straw: Figures on the number of staff working in an offender management role in the National Probation Service prior to 2006 are unavailable as the figures collected were not broken down into Offender Management Roles. The table shows the number of staff working in an offender management role in 2006 and 2007 broken down into job group:
	
		
			  National Probation Service 
			  ( 1) 2006 ( 2) 2007 
			 Deputy Chief Officer 16 16 
			 Assistant Chief Officer 81 75 
			 Area/District Manager 74 83 
			 Middle Manager 684 694 
			 Senior Practitioner 124 111 
			 Probation Officer 3,876 3,998 
			 Probation Services Officer 2,616 2,459 
			 Psychologist 4 5 
			 Other Operational Staff 32 20 
			 Support Staff- Administration 2,137 2,103 
			 Support Staff-Other 19 11 
			 Other Staff 9 2 
			 Total 9,672 9,577 
			 (1) Figures provided are fall time equivalent and are as at 31 December for each year. (2) Figures provided for 2007 are about to be made public. N otes: 1. Figures for 2008 are currently unavailable due to issues with data classification at this level of detail. A data validation exercise is currently taking place that will resolve these issues and information will be available at the conclusion of this exercise. 2. Information is not collected on how many Prison Service staff undertake offender management roles. Offender management is an integral part of the Prison Officer's role within an establishment. How this resource is deployed varies from establishment to establishment.

Non-Payment: Council Tax

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people who have  (a) appeared in court and  (b) been imprisoned for failure to pay council tax were aged (i) 64 years and under and (ii) 65 years and over in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Claire Ward: Persons who have appeared in court and been imprisoned for offences under Section 56 of the Council Tax (Administration  Enforcement) Regulations 1992 cannot be separately identified on the Ministry of Justice Court proceedings database as these offences form part of a miscellaneous offence group which cannot be analysed centrally.

Pharmacy

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many pharmacists have been prosecuted for incorrectly dispensing prescription medication under the Medicines Act 1968 in each of the last 10 years.

Claire Ward: Both the MHRA and the CPS can bring prosecutions under the Medicines Act 1968.
	The MHRA has brought two prosecutions for incorrectly dispensing prescription medication under the Medicines Act 1968 since 1999. Neither of these cases involved the prosecution of an individual pharmacist.
	The CPS does not collect data on the profession of those prosecuted under the Medicines Act. To identify their profession would involve disproportionate cost. It is possible that some of those prosecuted under the Medicines Act may be individual pharmacists.

Prison Service: Finance

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the difference was between the capital budget and capital expenditure outturn for the Prison Service for the financial years  (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09.

Maria Eagle: The outturn figures for HM Prison Service (HMPS) are as follows:
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Capital budget  Capital expenditure  Variance 
			 2008-09 24.6 29.1 (4.5) 
			 2007-08 19.3 26.8 (7.5) 
			 2006-07 17.2 16.1 1.1 
		
	
	From 2008-09 HMPS became subsumed within the reorganised National Offender Management Service and figures are not separated in the accounts, but the equivalent figure has been obtained from NOMS' internal management accounts.

Prisoner Escapes

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the most recent incidence of absconding from HM Prison Sudbury by a prisoner convicted of murder took place; and what steps he is taking to reduce the number of such incidents.

Maria Eagle: The most recent incident of absconding from Sudbury by a prisoner convicted of murder was on 21 September 2007. The prisoner was recaptured on 25 September 2007.
	Sudbury continues to work closely with Derbyshire police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in responding to all instances of individuals absconding from the prison and ensuring that whenever an absconder is arrested, he is brought to court and charged. The National Offender Management Service's (NOMS) Police Advisors and the Association of Chief Police Officers are discussing the implementation of a national agreement for referring absconders for prosecution which would see the approach taken at Sudbury extended throughout the estate.
	Absconds levels are monitored closely by NOMS. The Director General and Chief Operating Officer review abscond rates regularly. The risk assessment process for open conditions is stringent-and becoming more sophisticated at assessing risk. As a result, abscond rates are falling.
	Individual open prison governors are responsible for implementing local security strategies to combat absconds. Open prisons operate intelligence systems to try and spot those who might be planning to abscond; prisoners are screened and those who are at significant risk of absconding are sent back to closed conditions; in many areas the prison, police and CPS are working together to prosecute absconders to provide a deterrent to others who may be thinking of doing the same.
	All absconds are reported immediately to the police who will take steps to apprehend the prisoner. Re-captured absconders will be returned to a more secure closed prison where they face either a criminal prosecution for escaping or an internal adjudication in prison in front of a visiting judge. In both cases they can receive additional time in prison on top of their existing sentence.

Prisoner Release

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners released on temporary licence reoffended in the last five years; and how many such prisoners were returned to custody.

Maria Eagle: Time spent on release on temporary licence affords prisoners the opportunity to find work, re-establish family ties, reintegrate into the community and ensure housing needs are met. For long-term prisoners these are essential components for successful resettlement. The most recent published statistics(1 )show that in the five year period between January 2004 to December 2008 there were 2,075,506 temporary release licences issued to prisoners. In this same period there were 1,592 failures of licence (0.1 per cent. failure rate), the majority of which were for minor infringements such as returning late to the prison. To provide the information requested on further offences committed whilst on temporary release would involve the manual examination of all 1,592 individual records which could be done only at disproportionate cost.
	(1) The attention of the House is drawn to the bulletin, Offender Management Caseload Statistics, 2008, which was published on 31 July 2009. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of this House and another place. I hope that this will provide additional context to the statistics supplied in the answer. Ministry of Justice Caseload Statistics, tables 9.6 and 9.11 available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/offender-management-caseload-statistics-2008-2.pdf

Prisons: Drugs

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many grams of  (a) cannabis,  (b) heroin and  (c) cocaine have been found in prisons on (i) visitors, (ii) staff and (iii) prisoners in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The number of finds of cannabis, heroin and cocaine from April 2008 to March 2009 is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Drug  Number of finds 
			 Cannabis 1,373 
			 Heroin 764 
			 Cocaine 238 
		
	
	It is important to note that many drugs are similar in appearance and in many cases finds of drugs are not categorically identified by scientific analysis.
	Although NOMS records the number of occasions on which all drug types were found on it does not record centrally the weight of seizures or the type of drug found. To provide those details would require a manual investigation into each find at disproportionate cost.
	The number of all drug finds from April 2008 to March 2009 is given in the table. The other category includes not only finds on staff but also the very many finds that are not attributable to a person, such as parcels that have been thrown over prison boundaries or found in communal areas. To disaggregate staff from the other category would also require a manual investigation into each find at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Found on  Number 
			 Other 1,368 
			 Visitors 701 
			 Prisoners 155 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. The data are not subject to audit.

Prisons: Manpower

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many employees of  (a) his Department and  (b) the Prison Service are on the surplus employees list.

Michael Wills: As of 4 September 2009 the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has 254 staff that are actively seeking permanent redeployment. 221 work for the National Offender Management Service (including the Prison Service), 33 work for the rest of the MOJ (including one SCS). The figure comprises both full-time and part-time staff. They are engaged in work contributing to the delivery of public services, including core frontline activities, policy and project work and other operational roles.

Probation

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of offenders  (a) released from prison,  (b) under probation supervision without programmes and  (c) under probation supervision with programmes were reconvicted within two years in the last five years.

Claire Ward: The latest statistics on reoffending published in May 2009 report the re-offending rates over a one year follow up period.
	The following table shows the one year reoffending rates for adult offenders who were discharged from custody or who commenced a community order or suspended sentence order in the first quarter of 2006 and 2007, and (a) received an accredited programme requirement and (b) did not receive an accredited programme requirement under that order. Data about individual requirements were not available prior to 2006.
	
		
			 Number of offenders  Proportion of offenders reoffending 
			 Q1 2006 Custody  14,364 46.5 
			  Community orders Without AP(1) 18,637 34.5 
			   With AP(2) 8,281 40.6 
			  Suspended sentence orders Without AP(1) 3,150 35.1 
			   With AP(2) 2,129 41.9 
			  
			 Q1 2007 Custody  12,810 47.2 
			  Community orders Without AP(1) 20,696 35.1 
			   With AP2 6,897 41.0 
			  Suspended sentence orders Without AP(1) 5,734 32.5 
			   With AP(2) 3,328 40.9 
			 (1 )Offenders who did not receive an accredited programme as a requirement under their community or suspended sentence order. (2 )Offenders who received an accredited programme as a requirement under their community or suspended sentence order. This may be the only requirement, or in combination with others. 
		
	
	Comparisons to assess the effectiveness of different requirements and sentence types cannot be made from these results, as there is no control for known differences in offender characteristics or other factors that affect reoffending and the type of sentence given.
	Further information on the one year rates of reoffending can be found in
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/reoffendingofadults.htm.

Probation Officers: Manpower

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the ratio of offenders to probation officers has been in each of the last five years, broken down by probation service area.

Jack Straw: The information requested is shown in the following table for the years 2004 to 2007 inclusive. A data validation exercise is currently taking place on the probation officer information for 2008 to be completed during the summer of 2009.
	There are a number of factors which could affect average caseloads over time, resulting in regional variations shown in the table. These include:
	Fluctuations in caseload according to changing sentencing patterns
	Improving accurate workforce planning
	Variations in the nature of cases will call for a different workforce. High risk cases will call for resource intensive supervision by more senior practitioners. For lower risk cases (e.g. unpaid work supervision), a high caseload can be managed safely by a small number of practitioners. Comparing these cases under a single average caseload calculation is therefore misleading.
	
		
			  The ratio of offenders supervised by offender managers, by each probation service area in England and Wales at 31 December in each year from 2004-07 
			  Area  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Avon and Somerset 26.0 24.8 23.0 25.7 
			 Bedfordshire 41.1 35.3 32.7 32.1 
			 Cambridgeshire 29.0 33.2 32.5 35.3 
			 Cheshire 24.3 26.2 29.2 32.5 
			 Cumbria 33.5 29.7 26.3 29.5 
			 Derbyshire 34.0 32.3 30.9 32.1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 25.3 23.6 23.9 22.7 
			 Dorset 24.7 23.6 27.1 29.9 
			 Durham 23.3 23.8 24.7 27.3 
			 Dyfed Powys 26.3 24.1 26.7 29.5 
			 Essex 39.1 42.2 48.8 54.9 
			 Gloucestershire 26.9 28.8 32.9 37.6 
			 Gwent 36.9 37.4 29.2 27.5 
			 Hampshire 28.7 29.9 32.0 33.6 
			 Hertfordshire 39.6 40.8 47.6 40.2 
			 Humberside 25.6 24.6 24.0 27.0 
			 Kent 31.6 30.4 34.2 35.5 
			 Lancashire 24.0 25.3 27.9 31.1 
			 Leicestershire 25.1 24.2 25.6 26.4 
			 Lincolnshire 31.9 28.0 27.1 26.8 
			 London 40.7 50.7 47.6 48.2 
			 Greater Manchester 35.6 38.8 33.8 37.0 
			 Merseyside 34.5 36.6 38.3 33.7 
			 Norfolk 28.7 28.1 31.3 30.3 
			 North Wales 26.6 27.5 31.4 34.7 
			 North Yorkshire 22.4 25.0 26.3 28.2 
			 Northamptonshire 33.1 33.7 26.3 29.5 
			 Northumbria 21.4 21.0 23.1 26.1 
			 Nottinghamshire 33.4 33.2 30.1 33.3 
			 South Wales 31.6 29.7 30.1 30.5 
			 South Yorkshire 29.6 28.2 29.3 29.6 
			 Staffordshire 24.6 24.1 24.9 26.2 
			 Suffolk 20.3 21.8 23.7 23.3 
			 Surrey 25.3 25.7 28.2 24.7 
			 Sussex 37.3 30.7 33.2 40.5 
			 Teesside 39.8 32.7 33.9 32.5 
			 Thames Valley 30.6 32.6 35.3 35.1 
			 Warwickshire 27.8 23.8 29.2 33.1 
			 West Mercia 23.8 25.9 25.2 27.3 
			 West Midlands 41.0 36.7 37.0 40.4 
			 West Yorkshire 31.4 30.6 29.4 30.1 
			 Wiltshire 34.1 27.7 28.3 33.2 
			 National Average 31.8 32.5 32.6 34.1 
			  Note: Figures provided are Full Time Equivalent and include Senior Probation Officers, Probation Officers, Senior Practitioners and Practice Development Assessors

Robbery: Children

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children were  (a) charged and  (b) cautioned for robbery in (i) the East of England and (ii) Suffolk in each of the last five years.

Claire Ward: Information showing the number of children aged 10 to 17 who have been proceeded against at magistrates courts and cautioned for robbery in the East of England region and Suffolk police force area is shown in tables 1 and 2. The Ministry of Justice do not collect charging data; proceeded against information has been provided in lieu.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of persons aged 10 to 17, proceeded against at magistrates courts for robbery, in the East of England region and Suffolk police force area , 2003- 07( 1,)( )( 2) 
			   East of England region( 3)  Suffolk police force area 
			 2003 251 26 
			 2004 290 32 
			 2005 370 19 
			 2006 333 24 
			 2007 324 26 
			 (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2 )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) The East of England region includes Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit-Office for Criminal Justice Reform 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of offenders aged 10 to 17 cautioned( 1)  for robbery in the East of England region and Suffolk police force area, 2003-07( 2, 3) 
			   East of England region( 4)  Suffolk 
			 2003 24 3 
			 2004 45 4 
			 2005 41 5 
			 2006 40 2 
			 2007 38 6 
			 (1) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (2) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (4) East of England region includes Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.  Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit-Office for Criminal Justice Reform

Sentencing : Courts

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the  (a) sentencing practices and procedures and  (b) operational procedures at Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester by comparison with other Crown courts dealing with similar cases.

Michael Wills: It would not be appropriate for the Government to review or comment on sentencing practices at an individual court. Within the statutory framework set by Parliament, sentencing decisions are a matter for the judiciary, taking into account the particular circumstances of the case.
	Minshull street Crown court has effective procedures in place to manage the criminal cases brought before it. In 2008-09 80.5 per cent. of the court's cases commenced within target against a national KPI of 78 per cent. and it reduced its ineffective trial rate from 10.8 per cent. to 9.5 per cent.

Treatment Programmes

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners entered  (a) detoxification,  (b) maintenance,  (c) 12 step,  (d) cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT),  (e) shorter duration CBT and  (f) therapeutic community treatment programmes in (i) 2007-08 and (ii) 2008-09; and at what cost for each type of programme in each year.

Maria Eagle: The table provides figures for prisoners recorded as entering drug treatment in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
	
		
			   Intervention starts( 1, 2) 
			  Intervention type  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Clinical Treatment (detoxification or maintenance prescribing)(3) 58,810 64,770 
			 12-Step 870 850 
			 Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT)(4) 4,070 4,100 
			 Short Duration Programmes 6,030 5,550 
			 Therapeutic Communities 280 260 
			 (1 )These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. (2) Rounded to nearest 10. (3) Figures for detoxification and maintenance are not disaggregated. (4) Figures include starts on Action on Drugs for 2007/08-(programme now discontinued)-FOCUS, P-ASRO and STOP. 
		
	
	The Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS) is bringing improvements to the quality and volume of drug treatment in prisons. IDTS allows a closer integration of clinical and psychosocial drug treatment services in order to ensure that the interventions delivered are more closely matched to the individual needs of prisoners, dependent upon the stage of their treatment they are at.
	The 2008-09 Key Performance Target for drug treatment programmes focused on completions rather than starts. Across prisons and the community there were 15,434 accredited drug programme and Drug Rehabilitation Requirement (DRR) completions-exceeding the target of 12,919.
	Most expenditure on accredited drug treatment programmes comes from prison service general funding. It is currently not possible to accurately disaggregate these costs. However, NOMS is undertaking a specifications, benchmarking and costings exercise which will provide more detailed information on the costs of interventions delivered in prisons.

Welsh Assembly Government : Prosecutions

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has with the Welsh Assembly Government on its powers to postpone prosecutions brought under the Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Wales) Regulations 2009; and what mechanisms are in place for monitoring the use of those powers.

Claire Ward: There are no provisions in these regulations to enable the postponement of prosecutions for offences under food contact materials legislation. Therefore, there have been no discussions with the Welsh Assembly Government on this issue.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Casinos: Licensing

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when he plans to publish his Department's second consultation paper on availability to play; and when he expects the local authorities whose bids for small and large casino licences have been successful to be able to hold competitions for the operation of those licences.

Si�n Simon: The Government's consultation on proposals for regulations in order to define what would constitute a gaming table in the new categories of casino established by the Gambling Act 2005 closed on 15 May 2009. The Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Tables in Casinos) (Definitions) Regulations 2009 were laid before Parliament on 20 July 2009 and came into force on 11 August 2009.
	It is up to the individual licensing authorities whose bids for small and large casino licences were successful to decide when they will invite and consider applications for the operation of those licences. None of them have yet done so.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department's proposals for the analogue radio switch-off in 2015 have been submitted for rural proofing to the  (a) Commission for Rural Communities and  (b) Rural Advocate.

Si�n Simon: The Digital Britain White Paper set out our commitment to a full impact assessment of the Digital Radio Upgrade; including consideration of the rural impact. To inform these assessments we will work closely with the relevant stakeholders, such as the Commission for Rural Communities and the Rural Advocate.

Digital Broadcasting: Radio

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the merits of providing financial assistance to  (a) low-income households and  (b) households in hilly rural areas in respect of the analogue radio switch-off in 2015.

Si�n Simon: The Digital Britain White Paper set out our commitment to conduct a full impact assessment, including a cost benefit analysis of Digital Radio Upgrade. The results of this impact assessment will help determine whether there is a case for a Digital Radio Help Scheme, and if so, what its scope would be.
	In addition, the Consumer Expert Group, which brought together key consumer representatives to inform the Digital TV switchover process, has been invited to extend its scope to cover radio and will ensure that the Digital Radio Upgrade programme takes account of the wide range of listener needs.

English Heritage: Educational Visits

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what target has been set by English Heritage for free education visits each year from 2008-09 until the end of the funding agreement period.

Barbara Follett: English Heritage has set targets for the number of free education visits to its sites for the period of its current Funding Agreement as set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Target 
			 2008-09 450,000 
			 2009-10 450,000 
			 2010-11 450,000 
		
	
	This represents a revision of the aim to reach 650,000 visits by 2010 set out in Making the Past Part of Our Future in 2005, and reflects changing patterns of visits across the sector and an increased emphasis on more interactive, facilitated visits to reflect educational needs. This is being delivered through a series of new Discovery Visits, hands-on programmes which have been introduced at 60 sites since 2006.

English Heritage: Manpower

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff are employed in communications, media, press and other public relations roles by English Heritage.

Si�n Simon: Information from English Heritage is that it employs 10 full-time equivalent staff in these roles, each of whom has a direct communications, media, press or public relations role.

Gambling: Gibraltar

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the reasons for which William Hill and Ladbrokes decided to relocate their betting operations from the UK to Gibraltar; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: This was a commercial decision for the two companies. The Secretary of State has not made any formal assessment of the reasons for which William Hill and Ladbrokes decided to move their online betting operations from the UK to Gibraltar.

Heritage Lottery Fund: Manpower

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff are employed in communications, media, press and other public relations roles by the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Si�n Simon: Information from the Heritage Lottery Fund is that it employs 8.5 full-time equivalent staff in these roles, each of whom has a direct communications, media, press or public relations role.

Horse Racing: Bookmakers

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment he has made of progress towards resolution of the on-course bookmakers' dispute; and if he will make a statement.

Si�n Simon: My friend the Minister for Sport wrote to the Federation of British Bookmakers and Racecourse Association on 28 July setting out his current thoughts about the unresolved issues around on-course bookmaking.
	He has strongly encouraged both sides to show willingness to compromise so that mutually acceptable solutions can be found, and he expects the outstanding issues to be resolved through negotiations, which officials have been helping to facilitate.
	Another meeting of the Working Group is to be convened on 22 September to assess progress. We will continue to keep all options under review, including the legislative option.

Licensing

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many fast food outlets have been granted a late night refreshment licence in  (a) England and Wales,  (b) Essex and  (c) Southend-on-Sea in each of the last two years.

Si�n Simon: Late night refreshment permissions allow for the provision of hot food or drink to the public, for consumption on or off the premises, between 11pm and 5am or the supply of hot food or hot drink to any persons between those hours on or from premises to which the public has access. This is however not restricted to fast food outlets, and can be granted to any premises type (for example, restaurants, bars and pubs). Although a licence is needed for sales between 11pm and 5am, it does not necessarily mean that a premises will have a licence for the whole of that period or that, if it did, it would necessarily operate those hours.
	The Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Statistical Bulletin, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, reported there were an estimated 67,500 premises licences with late night refreshment permissions in England and Wales as of 31 March 2007, and an estimated 76,800 premises licences with late night refreshment permissions in England and Wales as of 31 March 2008.
	In Essex there were 1,207 premises licences with late night refreshment as of 31 March 2007 (this excludes, Braintree, Brentwood, Maldon and Thurrock whom did not respond to this question) and 1,498 premises licences with late night refreshment as of 31 March 2008 (this excludes Braintree, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock who did not answer).
	Southend-on-Sea had 279 premises licences with late night refreshment as of 31 March 2007. They did not respond to this question in 2008.

Licensing: Essex

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many pubs, clubs and bars have been granted a licence to operate after  (a) 11pm and  (b) 2am in (i) Essex, (ii) Southend-on-Sea and (iii) Rochford in each of the last two years.

Si�n Simon: The information you require on operating hours is not held centrally. However the Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing Statistical Bulletin, under the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003, does collect the number of premises with permission to open for up to 24 hours, although their actual opening hours may vary.
	In Essex there were six pubs, bars and nightclubs with 24-hour alcohol licences as of 31 March 2007 (this excludes Brentwood, Maldon and Thurrock who did not answer this question) and eight pubs, bars and nightclubs with 24-hour alcohol licences as of 31 March 2008 (this excludes Braintree who did not answer this question).
	Southend-on-Sea had no pubs, bars and nightclubs with 24-hour alcohol licences as of 31 March 2007 or as of 31 March 2008.
	Rochford had no pubs, bars and nightclubs with 24-hour alcohol licences as of 31 March 2007 or as of 31 March 2008.

National Lottery: Grants

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 13 March 2009,  Official Report, columns 772-74W, on the national lottery, how much was received by each of the national lottery good causes in 2008-09.

Si�n Simon: The following tables show the total income for each of the national lottery good causes for each financial year since 1995-96. Figures are adjusted to 2008-09 prices, using GDP deflators for the most recent year available from the Treasury. All figures are rounded to the nearest £ thousand. Figures for the financial year 2008-09 are provisional figures subject to audit and do not take account of the transfer of £73 million from the National Lottery Distribution Fund to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund, which took place on the 2 February 2009.
	The sport good cause comprises the following Lottery Distributing Bodies: UK Sport, Sport England, Sport Northern Ireland, Sports Council Wales and Sport Scotland. The arts good cause comprises Arts Council England, Arts Council Wales, Arts Council Northern Ireland, Scottish Screen, UK Film Council and Scottish Arts Council. The millennium good cause comprised the Millennium Commission, which was dissolved in 2006-07. The heritage good cause comprises the Heritage Lottery Fund. The health, education, environment and charitable expenditure good cause comprises the Big Lottery Fund, which is the successor to the Community Fund and the New Opportunities Fund.
	
		
			  Sport 
			   Amount adjusted to 2008-09 prices (£) 
			 1995-96 422,857,000 
			 1996-97 421,144,000 
			 1997-98 470,735,000 
			 1998-99 384,195,000 
			 1999-2000 343,497,000 
			 2000-01 362,161,000 
			 2001-02 362,607,000 
			 2002-03 300,423,000 
			 2003-04 257,324,000 
			 2004-05 263,935,000 
			 2005-06 263,841,000 
			 2006-07 223,841,000 
			 2007-08 221,791,000 
			 2008-09 218,635,000 
		
	
	
		
			  The Arts 
			   Amount adjusted to 2008-09 prices (£) 
			 1995-96 422,712,000 
			 1996-97 418,743,000 
			 1997-98 458,115,000 
			 1998-99 357,510,000 
			 1999-2000 329,475,000 
			 2000-01 340,664,000 
			 2001-02 354,996,000 
			 2002-03 297,642,000 
			 2003-04 259,278,000 
			 2004-05 265,528,000 
			 2005-06 264,986,000 
			 2006-07 223,286,000 
			 2007-08 221,791,000 
			 2008-09 218,634,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Millennium 
			   Amount adjusted to 2008-09 prices (£) 
			 1995-96 423,842,000 
			 1996-97 426,895,000 
			 1997-98 516,000,000 
			 1998-99 497,515,000 
			 1999-2000 439,808,000 
			 2000-01 420,358,000 
			 2001-02 167,866,000 
			 2002-03 24,888,000 
			 2003-04 7,286,000 
			 2004-05 6,698,000 
			 2005-06 4,252,000 
			 2006-07 1,682,000 
			 2007-08 - 
			 2008-09 - 
		
	
	
		
			  Heritage 
			   Amount adjusted to 2008-09 prices  (£) 
			 1995-96 421,877,000 
			 1996-97 421,002,000 
			 1997-98 473,931,000 
			 1998-99 393,671,000 
			 1999-2000 363,186,000 
			 2000-01 388,282,000 
			 2001-02 384,894,000 
			 2002-03 338,643,000 
			 2003-04 278,861,000 
			 2004-05 293,300,000 
			 2005-06 292,084,000 
			 2006-07 242,648,000 
			 2007-08 221,794,000 
			 2008-09 218,634,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Health, Education, the Environment and charitable expenditure 
			   Amount adjusted to 2008-09 prices (£) 
			 1995-96 423,544,000 
			 1996-97 421,092,000 
			 1997-98 607,955,000 
			 1998-99 799,146,000 
			 1999-2000 684,000,000 
			 2000-01 653,652,000 
			 2001-02 913,939,000 
			 2002-03 888,174,000 
			 2003-04 771,336,000 
			 2004-05 790,185,000 
			 2005-06 787,657,000 
			 2066-07 660,503,000 
			 2007-08 665,376,000 
			 2008-09 655,880,000

Sports: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) Sport England,  (b) UK Sport,  (c) the Football Foundation and  (d) the Youth Sport Trust received in grant-in-aid funding from his Department in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: Table 1 shows the grant in aid funding from DCMS for Sport England and UK Sport since 1997.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Sport England  UK Sport 
			 1997-98 33.758 11.791 
			 1998-99 33.341 11.548 
			 1999-2000 37.523 12.600 
			 2000-01 38.323 12.750 
			 2001-02 43.162 16.773 
			 2002-03 80.324 16.321 
			 2003-04 44.572 23.175 
			 2004-05 74.456 23.500 
			 2005-06 78.963 29.305 
			 2006-07 102.500 53.105 
			 2007-08 113.296 67.305 
			 2008-09 133.163 72.201 
		
	
	The Football Foundation and the Youth Sport Trust do not receive grant in aid funding directly from DCMS, but are funded by Sport England.
	Sport England has advised that they allocated the following amounts to the Football Foundation and the Youth Sport Trust, since their records began in 2003.
	
		
			  £ million (to nearest thousand) 
			   Football Foundation  Youth Sport Trust 
			 2004-05 2.141 2.235 
			 2005-06 4.518 2.658 
			 2006-07 22.064 2.593 
			 2007-08 18.307 2.754 
			 2008-09 21.796 3.991

Swimming

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many public swimming pools in England  (a) closed and  (b) opened in 2008.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 20 July 2009
	In 2008, 79 swimming pools were opened and 67 closed:
	
		
			  Ownership  Local authority  Education  Commercial  Others  Total 
			 Pools opened 31 15 32 1 79 
			 Pools closed 43 10 10 4 67 
		
	
	We are encouraging local authorities to plan strategically for the provision of facilities so they meet modern standards and expectations. This will include rationalising existing stock where necessary.
	There has been significant public investment in sports facilities in recent years which will lead to new local authority pools opening. Government and lottery money contributed to four new 50 meter pools in Sunderland, Portsmouth, Leeds and Liverpool, which means there is now at least one 50 meter pool in every region of the country.
	Corby's new East Midlands International 50 meter pool opened on 24 July, and next year will see two more 50 meter pools opening in Hillingdon and Basildon.
	In addition, there will be investment in 60 projects as part of the Government's Free Swimming scheme. £23 million has already been committed to this in 2009-10. This investment includes upgrades of existing facilities and new builds.

UK Film Council: Finance

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the budget of the UK Film Council for 2008-09 was; and what it  (a) is in 2009-10 and  (b) will be in 2010-11.

Si�n Simon: In 2008-09 the total expenditure for the UK Film Council, combining both lottery and grant in aid was £71.3 million.
	In 2009-10 budgeted spend for all activities is £71.7 million (excluding the transfer of £5.9 million to the Olympic lottery distributor). These figures align with the current UK Film Council business plan Film in the Digital Age which covers the period until March 2010.
	The budgets for 2010-11 will not be fully established and approved until the next spending round (2010 to 2013) has been formulated.
	 Sources:
	2008-09 data from 2008-09 Annual Report and Financial Statements.
	2009-10 data from budget approved by UKFC board in March 2009.
	2010-11 data from DCMS allocation letter re GIA and DCMS lottery projection issued in January 2009, confirmed as current in June.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Pension Protection Fund

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who retired before April 2005 are members of schemes under the Pension Protection Fund; how many such people have had their pensions capped; what estimate she has made of the annual cost of restoring the full pensions of  (a) those people who have had their pensions capped and  (b) all of those who retired before April 2005 who are members of such schemes; and what estimate she has made of the effect of such expenditure on the level of the annual levy for eligible schemes.

Angela Eagle: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Such information as is available was provided to the hon. Member on 4 June 2009,  Official Report, column 622W.

Business Link

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the courses offered by Business Link as part of the six month offer are available to people who have not been in receipt of jobseeker's allowance for more than six months.

Jim Knight: Business Link's business advice and support is available to anyone who is interested in starting a business. However, in recognition of the problems that longer-term jobseeker's allowance customers may have, under the six month offer we are funding additional intensive support for those who have been unemployed for six months or more and who are interested in taking up self-employment or starting a business.
	In addition, on claiming jobseeker's allowance, some groups of customers who face particular disadvantage in the labour market are fast-tracked immediately to the six-month stage of the jobseeker's regime, and can take advantage of the six month offer. Fast-tracked customers are those who have had specific periods of time spent on benefit or who have been otherwise inactive immediately prior to claiming jobseeker's allowance. Other disadvantaged groups can choose to fast-track to the six month stage, subject to capacity and their personal adviser's discretion and will have access to the six month offer. These groups include, for example, people who have completed a custodial sentence, are homeless, are affected by drug addiction, have been in residential care or have language, literacy or numeracy problems.

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission plans to publish  (a) the 2007-08 Client Funds Account together with the Comptroller and Auditor General's report thereon and  (b) the report from Pricewaterhouse Coopers on child maintenance debt balances.

Helen Goodman: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission plans to publish (a) the 2007-08 Client Funds Account together with the Comptroller and Auditor General's report thereon and (b) the report from PricewaterhouseCoopers on child maintenance debt balances.
	In order to interpret the question correctly, clarification was sought from your office. They confirmed that you wanted to know when the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission plans to publish (a) the 2008-09 Client Funds Account together with the Comptroller and Auditor General's report thereon.
	The Commission plans to lay the 2008/09 Client Funds Account soon after the House returns from summer recess. Contained within the Client Fund Account is a summary of the findings of the work undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers in respect of child maintenance arrears balances. This will include how these findings have been incorporated into our assessment of collectability; additionally this forms the basis of National Audit's work in auditing the arrears balances included in the Client Fund Account.
	I hope that you find this answer helpful.

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of invoices from suppliers her Department paid within 10-days of receipt in June 2009.

Helen Goodman: 96.02 per cent.

Departmental Work Experience

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) paid and  (b) unpaid graduate internships her Department has awarded in each of the last six months.

Jim Knight: The DWP supports a small number of paid and unpaid internship/work experience schemes but these are all aimed at undergraduate or sixth form students. Therefore the number of such placements offered to those who have already graduated over the past six months is nil.
	We have already indicated our commitment to the new Graduate Talent Pool initiative so will be offering places under this scheme from September.

Employment Schemes

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2009,  Official Report, column 767W, on employment schemes, when the requested information on payments will be made available.

Jim Knight: The recruitment subsidy and the six month offer were introduced on 6 April 2009. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish Official Statistics from autumn 2009.

Ethnic Minority and Employment Task Force

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many job application forms were sent to businesses by the Ethnic Minority and Employment Task Force as part of its research into barriers to employment; by what criteria the businesses were selected; and what advance consultation there was with employers prior to the issue of the job application forms.

Jim Knight: The National Centre for Social Research was commissioned to do this research and sent 2,961 job applications to employers in response to advertised vacancies. Commissioning took place after the employer-led Business Commission on Race Equality, chaired by Gordon Pell, Chief Executive, Retail Markets, Royal Bank of Scotland, recommended 'matched CV' testing to measure progress towards eliminating the ethnic minority employment gap. The Chancellor of the Exchequer accepted this recommendation and asked the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force (EMETF) to oversee delivery and report back to him in writing by December 2009. A Confederation of British Industry (CBI) member sits on the EMETF. The CBI is also on the steering group for the research project. No specific employers or sectors of industry were targeted.

Future Jobs Fund

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent consideration she has given to extending the exception to the long-term unemployment condition for Future Job Fund eligibility, to include those not in education, employment or training, to blind and partially sighted individuals claiming job seeker's allowance.

Helen Goodman: The jobs created using the Future Jobs Fund will be targeted at young people approaching ten months on jobseeker's allowance and other long-term benefit claimants living in areas of high unemployment. Some jobseeker's allowance customers, including those with a disability, can volunteer for more intensive support from Jobcentre Plus earlier in their claim at the discretion of their personal adviser. Customers who are fast-tracked to this more intensive support will be able to access Future Jobs Fund jobs from four months.

Future Jobs Fund

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will place in the Library copies of the bid assessment documents for each of the 117 successful Future Jobs Fund Bids announced on 29 July 2009.

Helen Goodman: The individual bid assessment documents cannot be placed in the Library because the information is commercially sensitive.

Housing Benefit

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking to monitor the effects of the arrangements by which housing benefit is paid to tenants rather than landlords; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill), on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1286W.

Industrial Diseases: Social Security Benefits

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid to people with  (a) hand arm vibration syndrome,  (b) noise-induced hearing loss and  (c) other work-related diseases through (i) industrial injuries disablement benefit for disease and deafness and (ii) other disability benefits in each of the last three years; and how much of that money has been recovered by the Government in accordance with the Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information on the monies paid through industrial injuries disablement benefit is in the table.
	
		
			  Payments through industrial injuries disablement benefit in 2006-07 
			  Injury  Amount paid (£ million) 
			 Hand arm vibration syndrome 22 
			 Noise-induced hearing loss 37 
			 Other work-related diseases 103 
			  Notes:  1. Figures rounded to the nearest million.  2. Industrial injuries disablement benefit expenditure on particular diseases is estimated using annual statistical data. Latest finalised annual statistical data are for 2006-07. Figures for the next two years are not yet available.  Source:  DWP statistical and accounting data. 
		
	
	Information on payments of other disability benefits is not available broken down by the disease categories requested.
	The amounts recovered in each of the last three years by the Government in accordance with the Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997 covering industrial injuries disablement benefit and other disability benefits are detailed as follows:
	
		
			  Recoveries of monies paid through industrial injuries disablement benefit 
			  £000 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Hand arm vibration syndrome 1,727 1,857 1,306 
			 Noise-induced hearing loss 42 24 36 
			 Other work-related diseases 6,931 8,562 9,830 
		
	
	
		
			  Recoveries of monies paid through other disability benefits 
			  £000 
			  Disease  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Hand arm vibration syndrome 15,956 22,580 11,413 
			 Noise-induced hearing loss 16 19 0 
			 Other work-related diseases 6,716 7,438 14,223 
			  Note:  Information is rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.  Source:  DWP accounting data.

Industrial Diseases: Social Security Benefits

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been paid to people with  (a) mesothelioma,  (b) asbestosis,  (c) bilateral pleural thickening and  (d) other prescribed asbestos diseases (i) under the Pneumoconiosis etc (Workers Compensation) Act 1979, (ii) through industrial injuries disablement benefit for disease and deafness, (iii) under Part 4 of the Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 and (iv) through other disability benefits in each of the last three years; and how much of that money has been recovered by the Government in accordance with the Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on payments to people under the Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 is only available for all work-related diseases covered by the scheme, not individual diseases. The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Payments (£ million) 
			 2006-07 26 
			 2007-08 27 
			 2008-09 32 
			  Note:  Figures rounded to the nearest £ million  Source: DWP statistical and accounting data 
		
	
	The available information on monies paid through Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit is in the following table. Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit expenditure on particular diseases is estimated using annual statistical data. The latest finalised annual statistical data are for 2006-07.
	
		
			  Payment through Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit in 2006-07 
			  £ million 
			  (a) Mesothelioma 10 
			  (b) Asbestosis (1)- 
			  (c) Bilateral pleural thickening 9 
			  (d) Other prescribed asbestos diseases 23 
			 (1) Less than £1 million.  Notes: 1. Figures rounded to the nearest £ million except where stated. 2. The estimate for  (b) is for primary carcinoma of the lung with accompanying evidence of one or both (A) asbestosis (B) unilateral or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening. 3. The estimate for  (c) is for unilateral or bilateral diffuse pleural thickening. 4. The estimate for  (d) is for pneumoconiosis, which is prescribed for occupations involving working with asbestos and a number of other occupations.  Source: DWP statistical and accounting data 
		
	
	The Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 made provision for the new 2008 Diffuse Mesothelioma scheme (known as the 2008 scheme) which enables lump sum payments to be made to people who suffer from diffuse mesothelioma caused by exposure to asbestos in the UK, and who do not currently qualify for help from the Government. This scheme has only been running since October 2008. Information is only available for all work-related diseases, not individual diseases. The expenditure up to March 2009 is £5.5 million.
	 Note
	This excludes Northern Ireland payments made under this scheme.
	 Source
	DWP statistical and accounting data.
	Information on payments of other disability benefits is not available broken down by the disease categories requested.
	The amounts of money recovered in each of the last three years under the categories requested are set out in the following tables:
	
		
			  Recoveries of Pneumoconiosis etc. (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 Lump Sum payments-October 2008 to March 2009 
			  Disease  £000 
			 Mesothelioma 4,465 
			 Asbestosis 411 
			 Bilateral Pleural Thickening 42 
			 Other prescribed asbestos diseases 247 
		
	
	
		
			  Recoveries of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit payments 
			  £000 
			  Disease  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Mesothelioma 3,024 3,944 5,306 
			 Asbestosis 1,072 1,031 1,287 
			 Bilateral Pleural Thickening 179 207 276 
			 Other prescribed asbestos diseases 4,425 5,262 4,303 
		
	
	
		
			  Recoveries of Child Maintenance and Other Payments Act 2008 Lump Sum payments-October 2008 to March 2009 
			  Disease  £000 
			 Mesothelioma 165 
		
	
	
		
			  Recoveries of payments through Other Disability Benefits 
			  £000 
			  Disease  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Mesothelioma 2,089 2,644 7,989 
			 Asbestosis 556 418 976 
			 Bilateral Pleural Thickening 70 276 134 
			 Other prescribed asbestos diseases 19,972 26,699 16,537 
			  Notes: 1. Information is rounded to the nearest thousand pounds. 2. Any lump sums paid under the 1979 Act or the 2008 scheme are recoverable under the Social Security (Recovery of Benefits) Act 1997. The lump sum payments are recoverable from all cases where the compensation is paid on or after 1 October 2008. Prior to that date data were not separately captured on these cases. 3. For Pneumoconiosis etc (Workers Compensation) Act 1979 'Other prescribed asbestos diseases' include Cancer, Pleural Plaques and Non-Coded diseases. 4. For Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and Other Disability Benefits 'Other prescribed asbestos diseases' include Cancer, Pleural Plaques and Other Work Related Diseases.  Source: DWP accounting data

Jobcentre Plus

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what jobcentres she has visited since becoming Secretary of State for Work and Pensions.

Helen Goodman: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State visited St. Marylebone Jobcentre (part of Central London District) on 8 June and Leith Jobcentre (part of Edinburgh, Lothian and Borders District) on 1 July.

Jobcentre Plus: Offices

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Jobcentre Plus has spent on  (a) acquiring office space,  (b) extending existing office space and  (c) converting existing office space as a result of an increased level of demand for its services in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Mel Groves:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your questions asking how much has been spent by Jobcentre Plus on (a) acquiring office space, (b) extending existing office space and (c) converting existing office space as a result of an increased level of demand for its services. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Jobcentre Plus is continuously reviewing existing service delivery arrangements in order to meet the challenge of the current economic climate and the planned welfare reform changes for the next two to three years.
	In the light of the increased customer demand we have secured the required funding to convert or extend our existing buildings where necessary. In addition we aim to make our services accessible to customers by providing a range of support through outreach facilities, often delivering advisory and other support on partners' premises. We are supplementing these measures by operating extended opening hours in some locations where the need for this is identified locally. This includes some offices opening to the public on Saturday. We will only acquire new space where all other measures are insufficient.
	To date estates work has been undertaken and completed on 18 of our buildings at a cost of £1 million, increasing our capacity to deliver additional customer service to the public. Estates work is planned for a further 151 buildings. This work is currently at an early stage and therefore the costs are not fully known.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 31 March 2009,  Official Report, column 1154W, on jobseeker's allowance, how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance in each local authority area had been claiming it for a period of  (a) up to three months,  (b) between three and six months,  (c) between six and 12 months,  (d) between 12 and 24 months and  (e) more than 24 months in each month since January 2009; and if she will make a statement.

Helen Goodman: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Swine Flu

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether she has made provision for benefit claimants with swine influenza to sign on for their benefits without attending the jobcentre plus office in person; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Knight: holding answer 16 July 2009
	There is already an easement to the normal jobseeker's allowance conditions of being immediately available for work, capable of work and actively seeking work. The easement allows someone who is sick for two periods of up to two weeks, within a 12 month period, to be treated as capable of work and continue to receive jobseeker's allowance.

Maternity Benefits

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been  (a) awarded and  (b) refused a Sure Start Maternity Grant in each of the last five years; and on what grounds such refusals have been made.

Jonathan R Shaw: The available information is given as follows.
	
		
			  Sure Start Maternity Grants 
			  Number of awards and initial refusals 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Number of awards 235,900 237,500 236,700 243,100 262,600 
			 Number of initial refusals 94,500 98,900 105,000 105,400 110,800 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of initial refusals by reason for refusal 
			   2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 No qualifying benefit or tax credit 71,100 74,400 77,100 77,500 87,100 
			 Certificate not provided 14,900 15,300 19,800 17,600 10,000 
			 Claim made too early 13,400 14,500 14,500 12,800 12,800 
			 Claim made too late 3,100 3,000 3,200 4,000 4,400 
			 Repeat application 1,300 1,300 1,400 2,800 2,400 
			 Other 3,300 2,800 2,700 3,900 5,900 
			  Notes: 1. The number of awards includes awards made after re-consideration or appeal. 2. The number of initial refusals is the number of claims refused at the initial decision-making stage. Some claims which are refused at the initial decision-making stage may be successful on re-consideration or appeal. As a result, some claims may be counted under both awards and initial refusals. 3. Up to two reasons for refusal can be recorded for each claim which is initially refused. Therefore, for each year, the total number of reasons for refusal exceeds the number of initial refusals. 4. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 100.  Source: DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System.

Members: Correspondence

John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when she plans to reply to the letter of 6 May from the right hon. Member for Tonbridge and Malling, on behalf of Ms Denise Roberts.

Helen Goodman: A reply was sent to the right hon. Member on 13 August 2009.

New Deal Schemes

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have participated in the Flexible New Deal programme in each  (a) region and  (b) Jobcentre Plus district in each month since the scheme was introduced;
	(2)  how many people have found employment through the Flexible New Deal in each  (a) region and  (b) Jobcentre Plus district in each month since the scheme was introduced;
	(3)  how many people have participated in the Flexible New Deal programme trial in Wandsworth in each month since the trial began;
	(4)  how many people have found employment through the Flexible New Deal programme trial in Wandsworth in each month since the trial began;
	(5)  how many people who have found employment through the Flexible New Deal programme have returned to the programme at a later date in each  (a) region and  (b) Jobcentre Plus district in each month since the scheme was introduced;
	(6)  what her Department's  (a) budget for and  (b) expenditure on the Flexible New Deal programme has been in each (i) region and (ii) Jobcentre Plus district in each month since the programme began.

Jim Knight: The Flexible New Deal programme is being introduced in two phases. The first phase, covering 28 Jobcentre Plus districts including Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth, will start from 5 October 2009. The second phase will follow in October 2010. A number of Jobcentre Plus offices, including Wandsworth, have tested aspects of the new regime for jobseekers that will accompany the Flexible New Deal, but not the programme itself, so information on participation, performance and expenditure will not be available until after the full service has started.
	The budget for Flexible New Deal is being finalised following the Budget 2009, which made an additional £2.8 billion available to DWP, on top of the £1.3 billion funding announced in the pre-Budget report, which will ensure we can continue to maintain our support to jobseekers through the economic downturn, including funding to support the Flexible New Deal.

Pension Credit

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners resident in  (a) Sunderland and  (b) England have received pension credit in each year since such credits were introduced.

Angela Eagle: The number of household recipients of pension credit in the City of Sunderland local authority and England are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Date  Sunderland local authority  England 
			 November 2003 15,330 1,742,960 
			 November 2004 19,010 2,200,630 
			 November 2005 19,470 2,266,420 
			 November 2006 19,600 2,290,810 
			 November 2007 19,510 2,287,390 
			 November 2008 19,420 2,286,610 
			  Notes: The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent. data.

Pensions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners living outside of the UK do not qualify for inflationary pension uprates.

Angela Eagle: There are around 540,000 people living outside the UK who do not qualify for pension uprates.
	 Notes:
	Rounded to the nearest 10,000.
	 Source:
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, February 2009.

Pensions

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners living outside the UK who do not qualify for pension uprates receive a pension of less than £50 a week.

Angela Eagle: There are currently around 460,000 pensioners living abroad receiving less than £50 state pension a week, who do not qualify for pension uprates.
	 Notes:
	Rounded to the nearest 10,000.
	 Source:
	Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, February 2009.

Social Security Benefits: Mentally Ill

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if she will ensure that the independent review commissioned by the Government of the ways in which people with mental health conditions can be better supported by the benefit and welfare to work system  (a) reports and  (b) will be made publicly available before the Welfare Reform Bill completes its passage through Parliament.

Jonathan R Shaw: The independent review referred to, which is being led by Dr. Rachel Perkins of the South West London and St. George's Mental Health NHS Trust, will report in the autumn. The Government will consider its findings and respond in due course.

Vocational Training: Young People

Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps her Department is taking to assist young people who are in employment but not receiving training to receive training.

Patrick McFadden: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government have put substantial training provision in place for people in employment. Through Train to Gain, employers can access training at work for their employees who are 19 or above. Funding for Train to Gain will increase to over £1 billion by 2010-11. Training leading to Skills for Life literacy or numeracy qualifications, full level 2, and first full level 3 (where the learner is aged between 19 and 25) do not require a financial contribution.
	The Government are committed to ensuring that by 2015 all young people under the age of 18 who are in employment are accessing accredited training.
	The National Apprenticeship Service is committed to increasing the uptake of Apprenticeships among the group of 16 to 18-year-olds who are currently in Jobs without Training as part of our 16 to 18 Apprenticeships Action Plan. The Government have increased funding for Apprentices by almost a quarter since 2007-08 to over £1 billion in 2009-10.
	The Learning Agreement Pilots, which ended in July 2009, tested interventions, incentives and options for engaging young people who are in jobs without training. These lessons are feeding into, for example, the on-going Activity Agreement pilots for those who are not in education, employment or training and the development of the Foundation Learning Tier as the learning suite for 14 to 19s working predominantly at Entry level or Level 1.

Work Capability Assessment

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of people undergoing the new Work Capability Assessment who have  (a) passed that assessment and moved into the work-related activity group of the employment and support allowance,  (b) passed that assessment and moved into the support group of the employment and support allowance and  (c) failed that assessment; and what proportion of people assessed under the personal capability assessment (i) passed and (ii) did not pass that assessment.

Jonathan R Shaw: Information on Employment and Support Allowance is due for publication in October.

Work Capability Assessment: Mentally Ill

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent changes have been made to Work Capability Assessments to take account of the circumstances of those with fluctuating mental health conditions; and if she will make a statement.

Jonathan R Shaw: There have not been any recent changes to the Work Capability Assessment. However, when it was introduced in October 2008, it was designed to ensure that people with mental health conditions are better identified and that their functional ability and support needs are correctly assessed. In addition, to allow for fluctuating conditions, the Work Capability Assessment does not take a snapshot of a person's condition on the day of assessment. Instead it looks at the person's level of function over time and considers whether they are able to complete actions reliably and repeatedly.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Advantage West Midlands: Finance

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what adjustments have been made to his Department's funding allocations to Advantage West Midlands in each of the last three years.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows indicative funding allocations made to Advantage West Midlands compared with their final allocation in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Indicative allocation 284 286 279 
			 Final allocation 290 292 296

British Telecom

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with representatives of BT to discuss the proposals in Government's Digital Britain report in the last six months.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 8 July 2009
	The Digital Britain project is a joint initiative led by the Departments for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport under Lord Carter as Minister for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting. Over the past six months, there have been four meetings on Digital Britain issues between Lord Carter and representatives of BT, and a further nineteen with BIS officials only.

Broadband: Essex

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding the Government has allocated for expansion of high-speed broadband usage in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: This Department has not allocated central funding for expansion of high-speed broadband usage in  (a) Essex and  (b) Castle Point in each year since 1997.
	As you may already be aware, in the Budget on 22 April the Chancellor confirmed the Government's commitment to delivering a Universal Service for broadband at a speed of 2 Megabits per second, by no later than 2012. In the Digital Britain report, we will set out in greater detail our plan of how the Universal Service Commitment might work and we will be publishing the report very shortly.

Broadband: North East

Fraser Kemp: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department has allocated for the roll-out of high-speed broadband in the North East in the next three years.

Patrick McFadden: In the Digital Britain White Paper, the Government announced the creation of a Next Generation Fund, to be funded by a 50p per month supplement on all fixed telephone lines from 2010. This will generate £150-175 million per year and will encourage investment in super-fast broadband or 'next generation' broadband for the Final Third of the country that the commercial market will not deliver to otherwise. It is not possible at this time to say what areas will benefit or by how much. The proposed Network Design and Procurement Group will be responsible for this through the procurement process and network design.

Business Links: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much and what proportion of Business Links' budget was spent on support for self-employment and business start-ups in the last 12 months; and what expenditure under what budgetary headings Business Links has incurred on service delivery in that period.

Patrick McFadden: Business Link does not have a national budget. The Department provides regional development agencies (RDA) with funding in a single pot for the delivery of services. The RDAs contract with regional suppliers to deliver Business Link. The question requires gathering data from the nine regions and the multiple suppliers they contract with to deliver start up services locally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Business: Government Assistance

David Taylor: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Leicestershire have applied for assistance under the Enterprise and Finance Guarantee Scheme to date.

Kevin Brennan: As of 12 August, in Leicestershire 70 businesses have been offered loans totalling £7.77 million.

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials at each grade have been employed on work relating to the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme since its creation; how much has been allocated by his Department for staff costs; what recent discussions he has had with the Treasury on this issue; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee has been developed by the Department's Enterprise Directorate, which has policy responsibility for start-up and growth for small and medium sized enterprises. The Directorate's resources are deployed on a project basis whereby resources follow priority work.
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee was developed and is being monitored from within an Access to Finance team consisting of around a dozen staff with responsibility for policy and monitoring of all aspects of finance for small and medium businesses.
	Capital for Enterprise Limited, a wholly owned Government non-departmental public body, is responsible for the delivery of the Government's finance interventions, including the Enterprise Finance Guarantee.

Business: Government Assistance

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to assist small to medium-sized enterprises through the current economic downturn.

Kevin Brennan: We have taken steps to help improve cash flow, to increase the availability of the credit businesses need, and to encourage investment so that businesses come through the recession ready to grow.
	In particular, we obtained bank lending commitments from RBS and Lloyds to lend £27 billion additional lending to businesses this year. This includes lending guaranteed under the working capital scheme.
	In addition, we introduced a trade credit insurance top-up scheme which provides protections for firms suffering a reduction in cover.
	We have also taken steps to assist small businesses to overcome short-term cash-flow problems-for example the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and also measures to ensure prompt payment by both public and private sectors.

Business: Government Assistance

Andrew George: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applications for finance guarantees from companies in each local authority area under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme have been  (a) received and  (b) approved.

Kevin Brennan: The Department records information about the Enterprise Finance Guarantee on a regional basis. It does not hold the information at the level requested and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Set out in the table is the information, for all UK regions, since the launch of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee on 14 January.
	
		
			   Total eligible cases  Total value of eligible cases (£ million)  Number of new loans offered to customers  Total value of offered Loans (£ million)  Number of offered loans drawn down  Total value of drawn Loans (£ million) 
			 Cumulative data 6,027 680.98 4,520 454.66 3,498 337.98 
			  Region   
			 No region details as yet 1,085 173.91 1 0.1 0 0.0 
			 East Midlands 342 37.60 323 35.33 244 25.7 
			 East of England 569 50.30 540 46.40 409 36.06 
			 London 590 68.47 537 59.92 389 40.95 
			 North East 173 16.89 163 15.90 125 10.89 
			 North West 527 52.95 475 46.25 403 40.16 
			 South East 709 72.41 663 67.08 517 50.64 
			 South West 555 50.44 527 47.22 411 32.33 
			 West Midlands 469 44.82 437 41.44 335 30.53 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 305 32.18 278 29.41 217 21.2 
			 Wales 242 18.50 229 17.53 167 11.29 
			 Scotland 405 51.94 305 39.58 254 32.67 
			 Northern Ireland 56 10.45 43 8.51 27 5.54

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the  (a) total cost and  (b) cost for (i) staff time, (ii) refreshments, (iii) security, (iv) transport and (v) other matters was of arranging and hosting (A) the employment summit on 12 January 2009, (B) the car industry summit on 28 January 2009, (C) the car industry summit on 12 December 2008, (D) the credit care summit on 26 November 2008, (E) the prompt payment summit on 10 December 2008, (F) the car industry summit on 27 November 2008 and (G) the pharmaceutical industry summit on 27 January 2009.

Patrick McFadden: Regarding the Employment Summit on 12 January, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister of State for Pensions and the Ageing Society to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 5 May,  Official Report, column 118W.
	Regarding the Car Industry Summit on 28 January, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Economics and Business to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 20 March,  Official Report, column 1408W.
	BIS has no record of a Car Industry Summit being held on 12 December 2008.
	The Credit Card Summit was held at the BERR conference centre in London on 26 November 2008. The total cost of the event was £6,080. The costs are broken down by budgetary headings in the following table.
	
		
			   Expenditure breakdown of Credit Card Summit held on 26 November 2008 (£) 
			 Catering costs 547 
			 Venue hire 273 
			 Staff costs 5,260 
			 Total 6,080 
			  Notes: 1. Figures rounded up to the nearest pound. 2. Calculating exact staff costs would be onerous, therefore figures are an estimate. 
		
	
	The Prompt Payment Summit on 12 December 2008 was held at the BIS Conference Centre in London. Refreshments were limited to tea and biscuits to around 20 delegates so costs were therefore minimal.
	The Car Industry Summit on 27 November 2008 was held at the BIS Conference Centre in London. Total costs for this event were £784, broken down as £287 for room hire and £497 for catering.
	The Pharmaceutical Summit held on 27 January was chaired by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister at 10 Downing street. My noble friend, the Minister for Economic Competitiveness and Small Business participated in the summit. BERR made no financial contribution to the cost of hosting the summit. BIS made no estimate of the cost of staff time, security or transport in preparing BIS's input to this event. This information is not held centrally and to do so would involve disproportionate cost.

Business: Government Assistance

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and  (b) individuals have applied for assistance under each initiative announced by his Department since November 2008; how many applications have been (i) accepted and (ii) rejected; for what reasons applications were rejected; and how much funding has been provided in relation to each initiative.

Kevin Brennan: Since November 2008 the Department has announced the following schemes.
	 Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG)
	This was launched on 14 January 2009. To date, over £680 million of eligible applications from 6,207 firms that have been granted, are being processed or assessed. 4,526 businesses have been offered loans totalling nearly £455 million.
	Decisions on individual lending rests with the lender, whose decision will follow a commercial assessment of the viability of the proposition and the ability to service the loan and other charges, the suitability of EFG as opposed to lender's other commercial lending products, and the EFG eligibility criteria.
	 Capital for Enterprise Fund
	The Capital for Enterprise Fund was also announced on 14 January. 1,611 businesses have registered their interest in the fund. The fund managers have made offers totalling £36 million to 24 businesses. Four businesses have accepted the terms of the funding offered with a total value of £5 million. Thus far, two businesses have received investment totalling £3 million. The fund managers are continuing due diligence on the further proposals that have been put forward.
	 Trade Credit Insurance
	Take-up is demand-led as it depends on the number of credit limit reductions in the private sector. All applications, payments, claims and queries under the scheme are dealt with by the trade credit insurer. At present, 52 policies totalling £7.045 million have been accepted by trade credit insurers.
	 Scrappage Scheme
	Over 165,923 orders for new vehicles have been taken since the scrappage scheme was announced in the Budget. The scheme was launched on 18 May. Under the terms of the scheme, vehicle dealers liaise with customers. BIS does not hold information on whether orders are made by businesses or individuals. A small number of orders are cancelled/removed each week for a variety of reasons e.g. accidental duplicate orders by dealers, the customer changing their mind. However, we anticipate that, subject to any future minor adjustments of this sort, all orders that meet the scheme criteria would qualify for Government funding of £1,000 per vehicle matched by at least £1,000 from the manufacturers.

Business: Government Assistance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions his Department has had with accredited lenders under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme about the terms and conditions under which loans are made to businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 15 June 2009
	Capital for Enterprise Ltd, which delivers the Enterprise Finance Guarantee on behalf of BIS, has regular discussions with the main participating lenders about lending under the scheme and is working with them to ensure terms and conditions are communicated throughout their networks to Relationship Managers. Each lender has access to a web based portal which includes information on the EFG rules and training on the use of the portal.

Business: Government Assistance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme in supporting small businesses; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 15 June 2009
	The Enterprise Finance Guarantee has been designed to lend to viable businesses at the margins of commercial lending decisions representing approximately 3 per cent. of the total SME lending market and is facilitating lending that would otherwise not be available. Since the launch of the scheme in January:
	ixAs of 12 August 2009, over £680 million of eligible applications from over 6,027 firms has been granted, being processed or assessed.
	So far, over 4,520 businesses have been offered loans totalling almost £455 million.
	The network of approved lenders has expanded from eight at launch to twenty-seven, providing access across the whole of the UK.
	A mystery shopper exercise (of the main four EFG lenders) showed that 77 per cent. of bank business advisers surveyed showed a good awareness of EFG.

Business: Government Assistance

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many loans have been made to small and medium-sized businesses in  (a) Derbyshire and  (b) West Derbyshire under the Small Business Loan Guarantee scheme since its inception.

Kevin Brennan: The Enterprise Finance Guarantee was launched on 14 January and replaced the Small Firms Loan Guarantee. Set out in the table is the information for Derbyshire and West Derbyshire:
	
		
			   Number  Value (£ million) 
			  Derbyshire   
			 Loans offered 75 7.00 
			 Loans drawn 62 5.66 
			
			  West Derbyshire   
			 Loans offered 5 0.40 
			 Loans drawn 3 0.34

Business: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department and its predecessors have taken to  (a) assist small businesses,  (b) assist medium-sized businesses,  (c) develop the skills base,  (d) facilitate innovation and  (e) facilitate business start-ups in Coventry in the last two years.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 18 June 2009
	The information is as follows:
	1. The Government are committed to ensuring that a comprehensive range of assistance is available, particularly to businesses affected by the economic downturn. The support available includes a package of schemes to address the cash flow, credit and capital needs of small businesses under the Real Help for Business campaign launched in January 2009. Full details of the support available can be found at:
	www.businesslink.gov.uk/realhelp
	2. Within the West Midlands region, The West Midlands Task Force set up by the Minister for the West Midlands, has established a 'one stop shop' website at:
	www.supportwm.co.uk
	dedicated to signposting businesses and individuals across the region to support available, including specialist regional support.
	3. The following provides details of the range of support available to businesses at a national and regional level. It should be noted that it is not possible to provide Coventry specific data in many cases, as data are not routinely available at a local level and schemes do not generally distinguish between small and medium sized firms.
	 National Measures to assist business under Real Help for Business-January 2009 to 21 August 2009
	4. Support available includes government guaranteed lending under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme, the Capital for Enterprise Fund, the RDA Transition Loan Funds and a series of other financial measures instituted to help businesses with their cash flow such as the Prompt Payment Code, Top-up Trade Credit Insurance. Other key measures put in place include the Help for Business Helpline and special help to the automotive sector including scrappage and the Automotive Assistance Programme. The following provides details of the take up of this support at national level. Figures on take up are provided for the West Midlands where available.
	 Overview of national initiatives-cumulative figures to 21 August 2009
	
		
			  National initiatives 
			 Enterprise finance guarantee scheme Over 4,600 businesses have been offered total loans of £470 million. 
			  West Midlands EFG: 448 businesses have been offered total loans of £43.15 million. 
			 Capital for enterprise fund Almost £36 million offered to 24 businesses. 
			 RDA transition loan funds Loans totalling over £30.3 million have been agreed. 
			 Prompt payment code -business to business 427 signatories to the Prompt Payment Code. 
			  75 West Midlands companies have signed up to the code. 
			 Prompt payment code -government to business In July, central Government departments paid 9 out of 10 invoices within 10 days; median performance across 22 departments was 92.96 per cent. 
			 Top-up trade credit insurance 52 accepted applications to a value of £7.045 million made up of 39 suppliers in 7 sectors. 
			 Help for business helpline A total of 226 companies were considered urgent enough to require Government intervention by MPs and Peers who referred cases to the Help for Business helpline. 155 of the total cases were identified as SMEs; 29 from the West Midlands. 
			 Business link health checks Over 74,000 businesses have benefited from a health check 
			  West Midlands: 9,706. 
			 Temporary vehicle scrappage scheme Almost 166,000 orders for new vehicles have been taken since the scheme was announced in the Budget. 9 per cent. of these were placed in the West Midlands. 
			  41 manufacturers signed up. 
			 Automotive assistance programme BIS officials have been in direct contact with over 90 companies, which is around 2/3rds of all companies who qualify for the support package. To date, officials have worked with over 20 companies on their formal expressions of interest. 
		
	
	 Regional m easures to a ssist businesses over the last two years
	5. Key initiatives are set out in the following table along with details of the level of support provided to businesses in the Coventry and Warwickshire area during 2007-08 and 2008-09 (Coventry data are in italics where they are available).
	
		
			  Key business initiatives 
			 Advantage West Midlands (AWM) businesses assisted 3, 267 businesses assisted. 
			 AWM business start ups 103 businesses supported. 
			 AWM inward investment activity Assisted 11 new foreign owned companies to set up and in the expansion of 2 new foreign owned companies. 
			 AWM grant for business investment (includes SFIE) 26 businesses received grants totalling £2 million. 
			 AWM regional venture capital funds  14 businesses in  Coventry received funds totalling  £6.3 million. 
			 Business link West Midlands Within  Coventry: 
			   Market engagement/penetration (unique businesses) with 6,444 businesses. 
			   Assisted 272 businesses. 
			   Assisted 465 start ups. 
			   1,508 intensively assisted incorporating diagnostic review and follow up support. 
			   1,961 individuals given advice on business start-up in 2008-09. 
			 Manufacturing advisory service Within  Coventry: 
			   Market engagement/penetration with 268 businesses. 
			   Intensively assisted 108. 
			 UK trade and investments (funded by BIS)  58 companies, (mainly small businesses) were assisted through its Passport to Export Programme. 
			   Additionally, outside of the Passport to Export Programme, significantly assisted a further 193 (mainly medium sized) companies to increase their exports. 
			 Local enterprise growth initiative (LEGI) aimed at increasing levels of entrepreneurial activity and supporting SMEs. LEGI was jointly sponsored by ODPM (now DCLG), DTI (now BIS) and HM Treasury Between  April 2006 and March 2009,  Coventry received just over  £12 million, through the LEGI initiative, outcomes include: 
			  support and advice to 626 businesses 
			  403 individuals being supported in developing business propositions leading to 311 new business start ups. 
			 Advantage transition bridge fund The Advantage Transition Bridge Fund reopened in November 2008. To date, it has made offers of loans totalling £9.3 million to 55 businesses. Of these, 9 businesses were located in  Coventry and  Warwickshire, who received loan offers totalling  £1,405,000. 
			 Business link business doctor service The business doctor service (which operated during February and March 2009) sought to address the immediate needs of businesses affected by the economic conditions. The service was targeted at providing face to face support on key issues, including strategy development, marketing, financial management etc. A small element of grant funded specialist support to help businesses access advice on financial restructuring and recovery measures was also provided. This initiative delivered specialist support to 140 businesses across the region (sub regional breakdown not available), awarding £340,000 in grant funding. 
			 Community development finance institutions (CDFIs)  32 loans were made to  Coventry based businesses, totalling  £401,734. 
		
	
	 Innovation support
	6. The Coventry and Warwickshire sub-region has significant strengths in innovation being home to Coventry University and the University of Warwick, as well as clusters of high growth industries including ICT, digital media and medical technologies. The area benefits from region wide innovation activity, supported by AWM, such as Innovation Networks, Grant for Research and Development, the Index Voucher Scheme and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships. Also, going forward Business Link West Midlands is developing the Innovation Advisory Service to work with partners (including MAS) to offer a range of innovation support to business.
	7. Examples of innovation support provided by AWM to businesses in the Coventry and Warwickshire area during 2007-08 and 2008-09 include:
	20 Research and Development Grants, totalling £0.7 million.
	Development of a world-class research and development park at Ansty, which has already attracted Ericsson's international R and D department. Ansty has also been identified as the location for the National Manufacturing Technology Centre.
	Part funding the University of Warwick's flagship scheme-The Digital Lab. This centre includes visualisation and simulation technologies and brings together some of the world's top academics in digital technologies working on digital manufacturing and digital healthcare and space for companies to work with researchers.
	The launch of the Serious Games Institute and Health Design Technologies Institutes at Coventry Universities. Both of these centres have strong business links and are in key areas of regional industry strength/growth.
	Development of Centres of Excellence in lightweight vehicles at Warwick University; this builds on AWM's funded Premium Auto Research and Development Programme (PARD) at the University.
	Under the AWM led Science City Programme of activity, Warwick University are leading three projects: Energy Efficiency (around £9 million for sustainable building and transport technologies-heat pumps, power electronics and automotive and rail applications); Translational Medicine (clinical trialling leading to improvements-particularly in obesity, diabetes, heart disease etc.) and Advanced Materials two (innovative uses of new materials including sensors in harsh environments, composites in transport applications and smart bio-materials).
	Coventry University was involved in a Science City demonstrator project on Intelligent Vehicles-using wireless technologies to position vehicles for trialling/testing. This led to a joint venture between two of the region's companies (one Coventry based).
	The universities of Coventry and Warwick are also involved in a number of other AWM innovation support interventions including Innovation Vouchers, Innovation Networks (led by Coventry University) and Knowledge Transfer Partnerships.
	8. Additionally, UKTI through its Passport to Export Scheme has targeted and assisted seven research and development intensive companies. More generally, working with Coventry University Enterprise, UKTI also provides a range of training and support programmes to help businesses in Coventry and across the region.
	 Developing the skills base
	9. The following table provides an overview of support provided in the Coventry and Warwickshire area over 2007-08 and 2008-09, unless otherwise stated. Coventry specific data are provided where available.
	
		
			  Regional initiatives 
			 Train to gain Over the last four years £4.5 million funding has been invested, with over 4,500 employees benefiting from training. 
			  During 2008-09 an additional £7 million was invested in the area in Train to Gain delivery, enabling over 6,000 employees to benefit from training. 
			 Coventry LEGI initiative Between 2006-09 LEGI provided mentoring support, training and/or advice to over 1,300 individuals to enable them to overcome barriers to employment or enterprise start up. 
			 AWM's advantage graduate scheme Over the last two years it has: 
			  Completed around 40 placements in the Coventry area. 
			  Assisted around 160 students from Coventry to improve their employability skills. 
		
	
	10. Under the Advantage Graduate Scheme, AWM also collaborates with partners to produce a brochure detailing regional job opportunities which is available to all final year students in the West Midlands. The 2009 edition contains a list of 1,000 business in the West Midlands who are interested in employing graduates, over 100 of which are in Coventry.
	11. In terms of Leadership and Management skills, AWM supports a brokerage service delivered by Business Link that targets leadership and management support at middle tier aspirational businesses. The service works with management teams to improve business performance. So far six teams have been supported in Coventry-approximately 10 per cent. of the total number.
	12. AWM has also provided funding for TUC Learning Centres in the Coventry area to enable work based learning.

Business: Government Assistance

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to assist small and medium-sized businesses in Leeds.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 24 June 2009
	Through Business Link Yorkshire, small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in Leeds can access the wide range of mainstream Government business support products and services. In 2008-09 Business Link Yorkshire dealt with 14,727 requests for advice and support from SMEs in the Leeds local authority area.
	The Government have delivered on their commitment to simplify support with the roll out of the Solutions for Business portfolio of services. Solutions for Business offers a comprehensive and streamlined package of 30 publicly funded support products for SMEs.
	Additional support has been made available to help SMEs during these tough economic times through Real Help Now for Businesses. This includes business financial health checks and a rapid response service to help SMEs hit hardest by the recession. The rapid response service provides support to people recently made redundant or facing redundancy to help them find new jobs or consider starting a business.
	The full suite of business support services is routinely delivered in Leeds, including: advice, guidance and practical financial support with business start-ups, support for entrepreneurs and innovators with information on how to develop and explore their ideas, from inspiration to planning, to research, marketing, launch, business growth and exporting. Jobcentre Plus assists local businesses with recruitment and training and the LSC provides Train to Gain and apprenticeship funding.
	Leeds secured £20.6 million from the Government's Local Enterprise Growth Initiative (LEGI) in 2006. The Leeds LEGI programme-known locally as Sharing the Success-aims to develop enterprise, create new jobs and boost prosperity in some of the most disadvantaged communities and runs until March 2011. Sharing the Success is funding a wide range of community based initiatives including a network of local enterprise centres, business start up advice and a business growth fund for existing businesses.
	Leeds Chamber of Commerce and Leeds City Council have formed a partnership-Enterprise Leeds-which brings together a range of business support organisations. They include Leeds Media, China Britain Business Council, Business Link Yorkshire and the West Yorkshire Employer Coalition Through Enterprise Leeds, businesses and entrepreneurs in the city can access a wide range of services including:
	finding business premises in Leeds
	information and advice to business advice and support organisations
	business support for start ups; existing businesses and inward investors
	business development and support for minority ethnic businesses

Business: Government Assistance

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Tamworth constituency have  (a) applied for and  (b) received funding from (i) the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and (ii) the Working Capital Scheme to date.

Kevin Brennan: The Department records information on the Enterprise Finance Guarantee on a regional basis, including the West Midlands. It does not hold the information at the requested level and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Set out in the table is the information for West Midlands since the launch of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee on 14 January:
	
		
			   Number  Value (£ million) 
			 Eligible applications 469 44.8 
			 Loans offered 437 41.4 
			 Loans drawn 335 30.5 
		
	
	No companies have received funding under the Working Capital Scheme. The Working Capital Scheme provides guarantees to banks on portfolios of short-term loans: businesses cannot apply for guarantees under this scheme.

Business: Government Assistance

Mark Prisk: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been  (a) offered to businesses,  (b) accepted by businesses and  (c) received by businesses under the Capital for Enterprise Fund.

Kevin Brennan: The appointed fund managers of the Capital for Enterprise Fund have so far made offers totalling almost £36 million to 24 businesses. Four businesses have accepted the terms of the funding offered with a total value of £5 million. The fund managers are continuing due diligence on the further proposals that have been put forward. Two businesses have received investment totalling £3 million.

Business: Government Assistance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on business: Government assistance, by what criteria his Department will determine whether an industrial project is  (a) advanced and  (b) of strategic importance to the UK's economic renewal.

Patrick McFadden: Building Britain's Future: New Industry, New Jobs set out our analysis of the opportunities facing the economy and the foundations of UK competitiveness. Determining whether projects are advanced and strategic will depend on an assessment of how the proposal fits with opportunities for UK-based businesses and whether it represents an opportunity where Government can have a real and beneficial impact. The assessments take into account, among other factors, the potential for a project to develop systemic linkages to the rest of the economy and meet public needs, the importance of a project for the economic future of a given region, the technological novelty and spill-over potential and the extent to which a project leads to increased use and further development of workforce skills.
	In addition, all proposals will be appraised to ensure that they have a clear rationale that Government intervention will make a difference and provide good value for money in delivering longer term benefits to the UK wide economy.

Business: Government Assistance

Tony Baldry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 189-90W, on business: Government assistance, by what mechanism businesses will be able to access the £250 million of the Strategic Investment Fund which has been ring-fenced specifically for low carbon initiatives.

Patrick McFadden: The aim of the Strategic Investment Fund is to support the UK being in a stronger position to take advantage of opportunities as the global economy returns to growth. Although the SIF is not a fund to which businesses can apply directly, BIS seeks and continues to welcome a broad engagement with business and other organisations to understand opportunities and challenges they face as well as the areas in which government action can have a bigger impact.
	The UK Low Carbon Industrial Strategy, published on 15 July 2009, set out the first investments from the £250 million of funding allocated for low carbon economic development. It will deliver targeted support for sectors with high growth potential such as offshore wind, wave and tidal energy, and remove barriers to low carbon investment in the UK.
	Announcements on specific projects and sectors to be funded will be made over the coming months. Where it is possible to bid for elements of funding, the process for doing so will be made clear when funding is announced.

Business: Insurance

Mark Oaten: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies have made an application under the Trade Credit Insurance Scheme to date; how many such applications have been  (a) approved and  (b) rejected in each month in which the scheme has been operational; and how much funding has been disbursed under the Scheme to date.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 13 July 2009
	Take-up of the scheme is demand-led as it depends on the number of credit limit reductions in the private sector. All applications, payments, claims and queries under the scheme are dealt with by the trade credit insurer. Eligibility for the scheme is automatic for all those that qualify.
	To date, we have had a total of 52 approved applications, broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Number of approved applications 
			 May 11 
			 June 8 
			 July 26 
			 To 14 August 7 
		
	
	We have had one claim for a value of £81,000.
	29 applications have been rejected by the Trade Credit Insurers for being ineligible under the scheme rules.

Business: Merseyside

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department has provided to  (a) small and  (b) medium-sized businesses in (i) Merseyside and (ii) Crosby constituency during the economic downturn.

Patrick McFadden: SMEs in Merseyside and Crosby are supported by the Northwest's Framework for Action which was launched in February 2009. The framework sets out a parallel process to stabilise a business in difficulties and to engage JobCentre Plus and LSC to support those made redundant or at risk. Businesses can access the full package of support by contacting Business Link Northwest. Business support includes Business Finance, Skills and Development and Innovation and Efficiency.
	A copy of the Northwest's Framework for Action has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Cheques

Colin Breed: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take in response to the withdrawal of cheques as a method of payment; and if he will make a statement.

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I have been asked to reply.
	The National Payments Council are not considering phasing out cheques as a method of payment, but only whether it would be sensible to set a long-term date for closing the use of a cheque clearing system.
	In the National Payments Plan, the Payments Council committed to conducting initial research and analysis into the future of cheques as a method of payment, with the aims of:
	understanding the barriers to cheque substitution;
	identifying the areas where work is needed on acceptable alternatives to cheques; and,
	clarifying where more education is needed on existing alternatives.
	The Payments Council is committed to being open and transparent in its review of the future of the cheque clearing and even if a timescale were to be set, various milestones would need to be agreed and delivered before any final decision would be taken to irrevocably close cheque operations.

Continental Shelf Receipts

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Government  (a) paid to the Isle of Man Government and  (b) transferred to Northern Ireland in relation to UK continental shelf receipts in each year since 2000.

David Kidney: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows how much the Government have paid to  (a) the Isle of Man and  (b) Northern Ireland in respect of a share of UK Continental Shelf receipts since 2000:
	
		
			  Payments to Isle of Man and Northern Ireland (£000) 
			  Financial year  Isle of Man  Northern Ireland 
			 2000/01 0 11,474 
			 2001/02 0 16,108 
			 2002/03 0 16,224 
			 2003/04 0 13,175 
			 2004/05 0 1,527 
			 2005/06 0 1,317 
			 2006/07 0 1,392 
			 2007/08 0 1,340

Departmental Billing

John Mason: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in June 2009.

Patrick McFadden: During June 2009, the Department paid 92.3 per cent. of supplier invoices within 10 working days of receipt.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have been (i) disciplined and (ii) dismissed for (A) breaches of data protection requirements and (B) inappropriate use of personal or sensitive data in the last 12 months.

Kevin Brennan: I refer to the answer given by the then Minister for Trade, Investment and Consumer Affairs on 12 January 2009,  Official Report, column 450W.
	We are unable to answer the question as to do so would breach the confidentiality of individual/s concerned.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Department's executive agencies and they will respond to you directly.

Departmental Data Protection

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many  (a) attempts and  (b) successful attempts were made to gain unauthorised access to each (i) database and (ii) ICT system run by his Department in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for departments to confirm information on the number of attempts, successful or otherwise, to gain unauthorised access to departmental systems or databases. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.
	The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills complies with the mandatory requirements of the Security Policy Framework in relation to information security including managing the risk of unauthorised access to ICT systems.

Departmental Electronic Equipment

Philip Hammond: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answers of 26 November 2008,  Official Report, columns 1699W and 1934W, on departmental electronic equipment, how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have spent on (i) flat screen televisions, (ii) DVD players and (iii) stereo equipment since November 2008.

Patrick McFadden: Since November 2008, this Department and its predecessor's Estates Section has spent £8,000 (exc.VAT) on the purchase and installation of flat screen televisions. We cannot separate purchase from installation costs without incurring disproportionate cost. No DVD players or stereo equipment have been purchased during this period. Information is not held centrally for any purchases of equipment made by individual directorates within the Department.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office and the Intellectual Property Office and they will respond directly to the hon. Member.

Departmental Equal Opportunities

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his Department's definition is of equality of opportunity in relation to its policies; and if he will make an assessment of the impact on equality of opportunity of his Department's policies.

Patrick McFadden: The Department's definition of equality of opportunity is set out in the equality schemes of the former Departments of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Universities, Innovation and Skills (DIUS). We are currently reviewing these schemes with the aim of producing a single equality scheme for BIS.
	Equality impact assessments (EQIAs) produced by BIS (and formerly by BERR and DIUS) measure the impact on equality of opportunity of departmental policies. EQIAs are either published as stand-alone documents on the BIS website which can be accessed at
	http://bisintranet/Pages/BIShomepage.aspx,
	or as part of a standard impact assessment, final versions of which are published on the Better Regulation Executive's impact assessment library at
	http://www.ialibrary.berr.gov.uk/.

Departmental Pay

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff employed in London on work contracted to their employers by his Department earn less than £7.45 per hour.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 7 May 2009
	The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills was created in June this year and made up of the former Departments of BERR and DIUS. That part of the Department which is ex- BERR does not have any directly employed staff earning less than £7.45 per hour in London. The pay and remuneration of staff employed by contractors used by ex- BERR is determined by their direct employers.
	DIUS had already responded to this question before BIS was created 14 May 2009,  Official Report, column 994W.

Departmental Press Releases

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills where Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills press releases are archived on the internet.

Patrick McFadden: The then Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills press releases are archived at:
	http://www.dius.gov.uk/news_and_speeches/press_releases.aspx

Departmental Public Expenditure

Vincent Cable: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will estimate his Department's expenditure on enterprise funds in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2014-15.

Kevin Brennan: The Enterprise Funds support the Enterprise Finance Guarantee and legacy Small Firms Loan Guarantee, along with the Department's equity fund portfolio including Enterprise Capital Funds, the Capital for Enterprise Fund and the Aspire fund.
	BIS is fully committed to supporting the enterprise and growth agenda. The Department's 2008-09 Annual Report and Accounts gives details of spend on enterprise funds and planned expenditure up to 2010-11. Expenditure after that date will be agreed at the next spending review.
	In addition, the Government announced the creation of the UK Innovation Investment Fund (UKIIF) in June 2009. The UKIIF backed by £150 million of Government funding aims to attract significant private sector investment to help invest in growing small businesses, start ups and spin outs in the digital, life science, clean technology and advanced manufacturing sectors.

Departmental Publications

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what expenditure his Department incurred in  (a) producing and  (b) publishing its document, Better Deal for Consumers; and how many copies were printed.

Patrick McFadden: The total cost of designing, printing and translating (where necessary) the White Paper were £23,022.15. 1,000 copies of the White Paper were printed.

Departmental Responsibilities

Graham Stuart: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on how many occasions the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills has met Lord Paul of Marylebone on matters relating to his departmental responsibilities since October 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State has had no meetings with Lord Paul of Marylebone.

Departmental Secondment

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many employees of his Department and its predecessors have been posted to work in offices of hon. Members of each political party in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: Civil servants are required to act in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code.
	Civil servants may shadow MPs as part of a programme run by the industry and Parliament Trust. Details on numbers of civil servants from this Department (and its predecessors) that have had such an attachment are not held centrally.

Departmental Trade Unions

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 10 March 2009,  Official Report, column 394W, on trade unions, what office facilities are provided for the exclusive use of each trade unions recognised by the Department; and what the notional yearly value of such provision is in each case.

Patrick McFadden: This Department provides office facilities for the exclusive use of the trade union side at its building at 1 Victoria street, London and at Moorfoot in Sheffield. The current cost per annum of providing this space is £22,000 in London and £3,950 in Sheffield.

Departmental Work Experience

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many work placements his Department and its predecessor offered to  (a) school pupils,  (b) university students and  (c) graduates in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills was created on 5 June 2009 with the merger of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and Department for Innovation Universities and Skills (DIUS).
	 (a) DIUS offered 12 work experience places which were taken up by school pupils in 2008.
	BERR and its predecessor DTI did not keep central records of the number of work placements offered to school pupils. Any such opportunities are arranged by individual business groups.
	 (b) and  (c) Work placements in both DIUS and BERR for university students and graduates were arranged by the individual business groups. No central records were kept of the placements that were offered or the numbers that took up these positions.
	BERR participated annually in the Cabinet Office Diversity Internship Programme for undergraduates and graduates from ethnic minority backgrounds which are under represented in the civil service. The scheme provides six to eight week paid placement scheme for students who are considering the civil service as a future career.
	Based on the information available from 2003 to 2009, a total of 32 students have been placed in the Department as part of the scheme.

Derek Draper and Charlie Whelan

Francis Maude: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when the Secretary of State last  (a) met and  (b) communicated with (i) Mr Derek Draper and (ii) Mr Charlie Whelan in the course of his official duties.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State met Mr. Charlie Whelan on 15 January in the course of his official duties.

Economic Situation

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what initiatives announced by his Department since November 2008 to assist  (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and  (b) individuals (i) have been implementend and (ii) remain to be implemented; on what date each was implemented; and if he will make a statement.

Kevin Brennan: The Government acted swiftly at the beginning of the year to help small businesses survive the current economic downturn. The package of support to address the cash flow, credit and capital needs of businesses announced by my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of Sate on 14 January under the Real Help campaign provided:
	£1 billion of guarantees supporting £1.3 billion of lending to smaller businesses through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme;
	Up to £10 billion of guarantees through the Working Capital Scheme that will secure new and existing credit lines worth up to £20 billion-and free up new capital for lending; and
	A £75 million capital (£50 million from HMG and £25 million from banks) fund to invest in businesses that need equity or quasi equity.
	Enterprise Finance Guarantee became operational on 14 January and as of 12 August lenders have logged over £680 million of eligible applications from over 6,000 businesses which have been granted, being processed or assessed.
	Capital for Enterprise Fund was open to registration from 14 January, the two fund managers have since been appointed to appraise propositions for potential investment. Funds managers have made offers totalling almost £36 million to 24 businesses, of which four businesses have accepted the terms of the offer issued with a value of £5 million. Two businesses have received investment totalling £3 million.
	The Working Capital Scheme was announced on 14 January and formally launched on 2 March.
	The Government have also recently launched the UK Innovation Fund as part of Government's strategy for Building Britain's Future.

Employment Agencies: Conditions of Employment

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 438-39W, on employment agencies: conditions of employment, on what charges employment agencies were convicted in January and June 2009 as a result of complaints made to the Employment Agency Standards helpline.

Patrick McFadden: In January 2009, a recruitment agent in the entertainment sector was prosecuted for failing to pay workers £3,500 for their performances.
	In June 2009, a recruitment agency consultant supplying rail workers was prosecuted for failing to pay workers £11,000.

Higher Education

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many additional student places have been provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in each year since 1992.

David Lammy: Table 1 shows full-time equivalent (FTE) student numbers allocated through HEFCE's main Additional Student Number (ASN) exercises for the years 1998 to 2009. Figures prior to 1998 are not included because places were allocated under a different system.
	
		
			  Table 1 : Additional student numbers (ASNs) allocated by HEFCE from 1998-1999 to 2009-10 
			   Fully-funded  Co-funded  Total 
			 2009-10 10,000 7,100 17,100 
			 2008-09 13,900 5,000 18,900 
			 2007-08 26,500 1,600 28,100 
			 2006-07 21,300 200 21,500 
			 2005-06 16,500 0 16,500 
			 2004-05 18,500 0 18,500 
			 2003-04 18,300 0 18,300 
			 2002-03 17,600 0 17,600 
			 2001-02 22,200 0 22,200 
			 2000-01 19,600 0 19,600 
			 1999-2000 31,300 0 31,300 
			 1998-1999 9,600 0 9,600 
			  Notes: Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 FTE. The table includes fully-funded ASNs as well as those co-funded by employers fully-funded ASNs include: increases in intakes to undergraduate medicine and dentistry courses; FTEs to support diversification out of Initial Teacher Training; Prototype Foundation Degrees (awarded 2001-02 to 2004-05). Where ASNs are co-funded, the FTEs to be delivered have been included rather than the fully-funded figures.

Higher Education: Admissions

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 19 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 1330-31W, on higher education: admissions, how many applications for full-time undergraduate courses in England were  (a) submitted and  (b) accepted in each year since 1979; and how many such applicants were domiciled (i) outside the EU, (ii) in the EU but not in the UK and (iii) in the UK.

David Lammy: The information is in the tables. Comparable information, which separately identifies non-UK students applying to institutions in England, is not held centrally for years prior to 1994. Prior to the formation of UCAS in 1994, figures were published separately for the two admission systems, the Universities Central Council on Admissions (UCCA) and the Polytechnic and College Admission Service (PCAS), but they did not separately identify non-UK students applying to institutions in England.
	
		
			  Applicants to full-time undergraduate courses in England via UCAS 1994-2008 
			  Domicile  UK  EU  Non-EU  Grand total 
			 1994 326,412 15,514 20,070 361,996 
			 1995 316,917 19,891 21,479 358,287 
			 1996 308,769 21,342 22,906 353,017 
			 1997 334,691 24,356 25,915 384,962 
			 1998 327,000 22,080 25,462 374,542 
			 1999 323,025 21,010 23,440 367,475 
			 2000 321,696 18,628 24,949 365,273 
			 2001 327,564 15,927 28,362 371,853 
			 2002 326,894 14,610 34,000 375,504 
			 2003 334,355 15,276 38,722 388,353 
			 2004 339,434 16,298 43,897 399,629 
			 2005 369,719 17,826 47,144 434,689 
			 2006 355,567 23,729 37,434 416,730 
			 2007 376,177 26,872 39,435 442,484 
			 2008 414,817 27,600 43,135 485,552 
			  Source: UCAS 
		
	
	
		
			  Accepted applicants to full-time undergraduate courses in England via UCAS 1994-2008 
			  Domicile  UK  EU  Non-EU  Grand total 
			 1994 207,907 5,981 9,600 223,488 
			 1995 218,596 8,825 11,241 238,662 
			 1996 218,998 10,978 11,771 241,747 
			 1997 251,535 13,711 14,374 279,620 
			 1998 245,839 13,028 13,851 272,718 
			 1999 250,360 12,742 14,411 277,513 
			 2000 253,915 11,458 15,274 280,647 
			 2001 268,570 9,593 18,342 296,505 
			 2002 273,257 9,149 22,069 304,475 
			 2003 274,983 9,400 24,788 309,171 
			 2004 274,507 9,561 27,105 311,173 
			 2005 299,288 9,904 28,298 337,490 
			 2006 287,409 14,288 23,557 325,254 
			 2007 304,796 16,008 24,377 345,181 
			 2008 340,879 16,195 25,472 382,546 
			  Note: UCAS applicant data. The applicant figures cover applicants submitting one or more applications to an English institution (in 1994/95 each applicant could submit up to eight applications; this was reduced to six from 1995/96, and to five from 2008/09). Students in this table applying to English institutions may also have applied to institutions in one or more of the other home countries, and some may have been accepted to institutions in those countries. In 2008 the Nursing and Midwifery Admissions System (NMAS) was subsumed in to the UCAS application system and part of the increase from 2007 to 2008 can be attributed this factor. There were 14,184 applicants who were accepted to former NMAS courses, the majority of whom were English domiciled (and NMAS was only for English institutions).  Source: UCAS

Higher Education: Admissions

Michael Penning: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of residents in  (a) Hemel Hempstead constituency,  (b) Dacorum,  (c) Hertfordshire,  (d) the South East and  (e) England entered university in each of the last 10-years.

Patrick McFadden: The Government does not collect data on the number of people resident in a particular area who are not in higher education. Therefore, it is not possible to calculate what proportion of residents in Hemel Hempstead constituency, Dacorum, Hertfordshire and the South East entered university in each of the last ten years.
	The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published Young participation in higher education in January 2005, which is available from the HEFCE website at:
	http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/hefce/2005/05/03/
	The HEFCE report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 disaggregated by local education authority (LEA) for the years 1997 to 2000.
	At national level, the higher education initial participation rate (HEIPR) covers English-domiciled 17-30 year old first-time entrants to higher education courses, at UK higher education institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh further education colleges, who remain on their course for at least six months. The latest available figure is 43 per cent. in 2007/08.
	The numbers of all-aged entrants to higher education from Hemel Hempstead constituency, Dacorum, Hertfordshire, the South East and England, in each of the last ten years, are shown as an alternative in the tables. Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
	
		
			  Entrants( 1)  from Hemel Hempstead constituency( 2) , Dacorum  c ensus  d istrict( 2)  Hertfordshire local authority( 2) , the South East Government Office Region( 2)  and England UK  higher education i nstitutions( 3)  : Academic years 1998/99 to 2007/08 
			  Academic year  Hemel Hempstead  Dacorum  Hertfordshire  South East  England 
			 1998/99 735 1,220 10,215 79,235 516,930 
			 1999/2000 740 1,225 10,615 80,220 515,565 
			 2000/01 845 1,340 11,045 80,705 516,750 
			 2001/02 900 1,420 11,395 85,095 548,000 
			 2002/03 865 1,385 11,620 86,875 570,695 
			 2003/04 935 1,420 13,315 87,645 578,790 
			 2004/05 860 1,410 11,940 90,500 579,200 
			 2005/06 970 1,545 12,215 92,340 598,745 
			 2006/07 855 1,365 11,585 87,305 575,085 
			 2007/08 910 1,495 12,015 88,705 589,055 
			 (1) Covers postgraduate and undergraduate entrants to both full-time and part-time courses. (2) The table does not include entrants where the parliamentary constituency, local authority area, census district and Government Office Region of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid home postcodes. (3) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of entrants over the time series.  Notes: Figures are based on a snapshot as at 1 December and are rounded to the nearest five.  Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA)

Higher Education: Finance

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much and what proportion of the funding awarded to higher education institutions as a result of the changes to the funding for students studying for equivalent and lower qualifications has been designated as core teaching funding for 2009-10.

Patrick McFadden: This policy redistributes funding for the teaching of students studying for equivalent or lower qualifications (ELQs) to the teaching of students who have not previously benefitted from higher education. For 2009-10 we have asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England to redistribute £60 million from a total support for ELQ students of £325 million.

Innovation

Gregory Barker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress has been made on establishing a new national proof of concept fund.

David Lammy: There is no dedicated proof of concept fund. To ensure businesses receive the most cost effective and comprehensive range of support a new national framework for proof of concept support was adopted by the RDAs in March. The framework comprises funding of up to £500,000; access to facilities, including business incubators, laboratories and science parks; and tailored help including help with business and financial planning and coaching on how to pitch for investment. This new national framework ensures help is targeted to the specific needs of businesses. It avoids the overlap and duplication that would be created by a dedicated proof of concept scheme. All RDA support for proof of concept will be fully aligned with the national framework by 31 March 2010.

Insolvency

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many British businesses which  (a) export and  (b) do not export have entered into administration in each of the last 36 months.

Patrick McFadden: It is not possible to identify whether insolvent companies had exported or not. Further, insolvency statistics are not produced on a monthly basis.

Insolvency Service: Official Hospitality

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much the Insolvency Service spent on  (a) promotional items and  (b) gifts in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The Insolvency Service has spent the following amounts on  (a) promotional items:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2004-05 Nil 
			 2005-06 2,036.28 
			 2006-07 3,654.25 
			 2007-08 23,489.94 
			 2008-09 4,142 
		
	
	and  (b) on gifts:
	
		
			   Amount (£) 
			 2004-05 Nil 
			 2005-06 663.89 
			 2006-07 596.90 
			 2007-08 Nil 
			 2008-09 Nil

Lockerbie: Bombings

William Hague: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many times the Secretary of State has met Saif al-Uslam Gaddafi in an official capacity; whether the subject of  (a) commercial contracts for oil and gas and  (b) Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi have been discussed at any such meeting; and if he will place in the Library records of each meeting.

Patrick McFadden: My noble Friend the Secretary of State has had one official meeting with Saif al-Uslam Gaddafi. There was no discussion of commercial contracts for oil and gas. Saif al-Uslam Gaddafi raised the case of Abdelbaset Ali al-Megrahi. My noble Friend the Secretary of State made clear that this was a matter for the Scottish Executive.

Parker Pen Company: Newhaven

Norman Baker: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to limit the likely negative effects of the proposed closure of the Parker Pen factory in Newhaven on the local businesses.

David Lammy: holding answer 21 July 2009
	Support to local businesses and work force to help them manage the impact of the proposed closure of the Parker Pen factory in Newhaven is delivered through a number of regional and local agencies. The range of support mechanisms that is currently available includes all the following.
	South East England Development Agency (SEEDA) is providing a range of support mechanisms. SEEDA's Investor Development Manager and a broker from the Continuing Employment Support Service (CESS) have been in contact with Parker Pens. An offer of support is being put together for the company to consider. If accepted, there could be a local taskforce involving SEEDA and key partners such as Jobcentre Plus, Business Link, the local council and local recruitment agencies. This would support the work force and possibly also local businesses which form part of the supply chain for Parker Pens, and for whom the closure may have a significant impact.
	East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has set up a 'Recession Task Force'. This group shares key information and co-ordinates work between different organisations, and provides practical support for ideas from a wide range of sources, including drawing on the Government's 'Real Help Now' programme. The Task Force includes representatives from the district and borough councils, Jobcentre Plus, major employers such as the NHS, local business support bodies such as Business Link and Trading Standards, and representatives from the voluntary and community sector, such as the Citizens Advice Bureau. ESCC has set up a £1 million Recession Fund to help the county through the recession. The funding will be spent on a wide range of initiatives and partnerships aimed at helping firms, families and individuals to fight the credit crunch. Projects include supporting small businesses by offering more support and speeding up the payment of invoices. In November 2008, the Council provided £100,000 to enable Business Link Sussex to offer specialist help to local businesses and grants to the local Credit Unions-community-based savings and loans organisations-to make it easier for people to access loans and protect residents from the loan sharks. Through the Fund a grant of £75,000 has been allocated towards the Newhaven community-based NewCEP Extra project-which will be used, with a focus on Parker Pens, to assist 125 clients with job search, action planning and skills development.
	Business Link (enterprise gateway service) helps people facing barriers in starting up their own businesses. They offer a four-step programme called Building Business Confidence and a one-to-one mentoring service. They work locally with partner organisations such as Jobcentre Plus, NewCEP and Sussex Downs College, as well as social enterprises in the region, to identify individuals who are interested in self-employment.
	Newhaven's Enterprise Centre funded by SEEDA at a cost of £4.75 million provides 2,000 sq m of new space. The Centre has been developed by Lewes District Council in conjunction with specialist managed business centre operators Basepoint plc. It provides 44 units offering a wide range of high quality office space and workshops designed for all sectors of small to medium businesses and to encourage new and micro enterprises.
	SEEDA has started a relevant new service in the South East Women's Business Service. There will be two women's business advisers in Sussex, and they will provide intensive women-friendly business adviser support to women considering enterprise (pre-start) from the Business Link enterprise gateway service's priority groups and areas. For example it will support those who are disadvantaged, from groups under-represented in business or facing barriers to enterprise. They will be offering assistance to vulnerable early-stage, women-owned businesses, assisting self-employed women or women-owned businesses to stabilise and improve their performance.
	Contact has been made by Sussex Downs College (SDC) with Parker Pens, and employees will be offered support through its 'Response to Redundancy'-funded 'Navigate' programme. SDC is the main further education provider covering the Newhaven area, with a campus in Newhaven at Denton Island Training Centre, and has wide experience of working in the town.
	As the Skills Secretary announced on 21 October 2008, in a package of measures responding to the economic downturn, the LSC has £100 million to support workers affected by redundancy. It is making available £50 million from the European Social Fund (ESF) and £50 million through Train to Gain to boost skills interventions for individuals: those under notice of redundancy; those recently made redundant; and those that are unemployed and further from the labour market but could be made ready for work with a skills development support package. The aim of the Redundancy Support Programme is to ensure adults aged 18 and over in these groups are provided with the high-quality training and education support that they need to enable them to continue in, or enter or re-enter employment and contribute positively to the local labour market.

Regeneration: Expenditure

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 25 March 2009,  Official Report, column 530W, on regional development agencies: finance, how much each agency spent on regeneration programmes as a percentage of its total expenditure in  (a) 2007-08 and  (b) 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows RDA expenditure on regeneration programmes as a percentage of its total expenditure in 2007-08 and 2008-09.
	
		
			  RDA expenditure on regeneration programmes as a percentage of its total expenditure 
			  Percentage 
			  RDA  2007-08  2008-09 
			 AWM 38 46 
			 EEDA 36 41 
			 EMDA 48 47 
			 LDA(1) 31 53 
			 NWDA 41 39 
			 ONE 29 29 
			 SEEDA 40 38 
			 SWERDA 33 38 
			 YF 31 41 
			 (1) The LDA have revised their definition of regeneration programmes from the previous answer 25 March 2009,  Official Report, column 530W, on Regional Development Agencies.

Regional Development Agencies

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what his most recent estimate is of the monetary value of unused land owned by regional development agencies.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 3 June 2009
	 At 31 March, the monetary value of unused land owned by the regional developments agencies was £268,021,001.
	The figure above gives the monetary value of land holdings recorded on each RDA's asset register at 31 March on which there is no activity or other development taking place although in virtually all cases the RDAs are actively negotiating the development or plans for development of these assets. While assets are revalued at least annually by RDAs, the book value may not reflect the actual value of a particular holding therefore these figures should only be considered an estimate.

Regional Development Agencies: Airports

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what payments each regional development agency has made to airports in the last 12 months; and for what purposes such payments were made in each case.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows RDA payments to airports in the last 12 months.
	
		
			  RDA  Payments to airports (£000)  Purpose 
			 AWM 170 This relates to preliminary costs in respect of the project to extend the main runway at Birmingham International airport. 
			
			 LDA 1,050 This was a payment made as part of a £1.6 million Regional Selective Assistance (RSA) grant to London City airport. The grant was a contribution to a wider £39.8 million project to construct additional apron over the north-west corner of the George V Dock, increasing stand space and providing an extra runway link. 
			
			 ONE 416 This is comprised of: (a) four payments to Newcastle International airport to finance route development support to Copenhagen, Bergen and Krakow, as well as the cost of hiring a meeting room. (b) three payments to Durham Tees Valley airport for route development support to Warsaw as well as gap funding for economic development at the adjacent business park. 
		
	
	EEDA, EMDA, NWDA, SEEDA, SWRDA, and YF have recorded no payments to airports in the last 12 months.

Regional Development Agencies: Airports

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each regional development agency has spent on  (a) airport infrastructure and  (b) subsidies designed to increase levels of use of airports in each region in each year since 1997.

Patrick McFadden: The following tables show expenditure by each RDA on airport infrastructure and subsidies designed to increase levels of use of airports in each region since 2003-04. The RDAs retain records of the last seven years. To provide records before this period will incur disproportionate costs.
	
		
			  RDA Expenditure on airport infrastructure (£000)( 1) 
			  RDA  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 AWM 0 0 0 0 0 142 28 
			 EEDA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 EMDA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 LDA 54 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 NWDA 0 0 0 850 1,600 2,000 0 
			 ONE 622 895 12 1,589 498 224 1,280 
			 SEEDA 0 150 0 0 0 0 0 
			 SWRDA 1,200 1,500 75 1,159 0 0 0 
			 YF 0 0 150 1,094 3,239 1,135 4,700 
			 (1) Expenditure on airport infrastructure relates to any direct expenditure on airport buildings and equipment and has been invested within the airport's boundaries. 
		
	
	
		
			  Subsidies designed to increase levels of use of airports (£000)( 1) 
			  RDA  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 AWM 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 EEDA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 EMDA 0 0 0 0 426 922 49 
			 LDA 350 0 200 0 0 1,050 0 
			 NWDA 0 0 0 0 277 1,318 139 
			 ONE 0 0 0 92 345 205 100 
			 SEEDA 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 SWRDA 75 15 940 0 8,010 0 0 
			 YF 0 0 50 0 0 0 0 
			 (1) Subsidies designed to increase levels of use of airports relates to any expenditure aimed at increasing the use of or uptake of the airport and its facilities.

Regional Development Agencies: Expenditure

Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding allocated by his Department to each regional development agency was spent on tourism in each of the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows RDA expenditure on tourism in the last five years.
	Expenditure on tourism includes marketing and tourism promotion, capital spending related to tourism, product development related to tourism, and research related to tourism.
	
		
			  Expenditure on Tourism (£ million) 
			  RDAs  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 AWM 2 3.8 8 12.5 9.5 
			 EEDA 0.6 0.8 1.5 1.7 1.1 
			 EMDA 2.5 4.1 5 4.6 4.2 
			 LDA 23.7 23.8 23.9 29.4 25.9 
			 NWDA(1) 4.1 5.5 3.4 9.5 11.8 
			 ONE (2) 3.3 7.1 10.8 10.6 11.9 
			 SEEDA 1.8 2.4 2.2 2.2 2.3 
			 SWRDA(3) 9.2 7.5 6.4 5.5 4.7 
			 YF 4 4.1 7.5 6.5 10.5 
			 (1) NWDA have not included: (a) core cost for funding Destination Management Organisations or Regional Tourist Boards and (b) specific funding to organisations in Liverpool for Capital of Culture activity. (2) ONE took over the delivery of tourism in 2004-05. (3) Figures for 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 include expenditure related to SWRDA's role as the national RDA lead for tourism policy.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether further budget changes are planned for each regional development agency before its current corporate plan expires.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 9 July 2009
	 The regional development agencies (RDAs) have budget allocations for 2009-10 and indicative budgets for 2010-11. There are no plans to change RDA budgets.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effect of the recession on the flow of funds from regional development agencies.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 9 July 2009
	 The Department has asked the RDAs to review their spending plans on how they will use their resources to deliver their priorities in the light of changes to their budgets and the changed economic conditions. This information will be available in the RDAs (refreshed) Corporate Plans, which will be published in the summer.
	On an ongoing basis, the Department monitors the agencies use of funds including actual expenditure against annual budgets.

Regional Development Agencies: Finance

David Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department has channelled through regional development agencies for  (a) skills training and  (b) careers advice in the last five years.

Patrick McFadden: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) The following table shows funding spent on RDA programmes where 'skills training' was the specific primary objective are as follows:
	
		
			  RDA Expenditure on Skills Training (£ million) 
			  RDA  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 AWM 12.9 6.0 3.6 2.1 2.2 
			 EEDA 2.1 3.0 2.8 2.5 1.3 
			 EMDA 3.5 3.8 7.5 7.5 4.1 
			 LDA(1) (2) 13.4 31.1 19.0 93.2 
			 NWDA 9.3 7.3 16.6 23.2 16.8 
			 ONE 2.7 5.2 5.7 7.9 5.0 
			 SEEDA 3.1 2.3 2.4 2.2 1.8 
			 SWRDA 0.4 1.0 1.1 1.1 1.5 
			 YF 23.4 17.9 18.5 19.5 11.0 
			 (1) Figures used are aggregate figures for the directorate of Business and Skills. (2) To separate out the data would incur disproportionate cost. 
		
	
	 (b) RDAs have no specific remit to provide careers advice, and as such, there is no direct funding of any careers advice programmes. However, there are a number of RDA programmes such as employment brokerage to place graduates with SMEs, which may be considered to contain elements of 'careers advice' as a by-product of the programme.

Regional Development Agencies: Mass Media

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much each of the regional development agencies and the London Development Agency  (a) spent on media monitoring in each of the last three years and  (b) has allocated to expenditure on media monitoring in each of the next three years;
	(2)  how much money each regional development agency has  (a) spent on media monitoring in each of the last three years and  (b) allocated to media monitoring in each of the next three years.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 17 and 24 June 2009
	The following table shows RDA expenditure on media monitoring services in the last three years.
	
		
			  RDA actual expenditure on media monitoring 
			  £ 
			  RDA  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 AWM 15,807 20,467 27,952 
			 EEDA 19,000 20,000 9,000 
			 EMDA 41,472 19,999 29,004 
			 LDA 1 5,437 9,210 18,000 
			 NWDA 21,864 14,441 21,824 
			 ONE 18,864 32,154 35,291 
			 SEEDA 24,819 26,811 19,884 
			 SWRDA 27,152 36,544 33,036 
			 YF 30,014 21,385 24,876 
			  Note: During the period 2006-07 to 2008-09 the LDA also made an annual contribution towards the GLA Group In-House cuttings service. 
		
	
	The following table shows RDA allocations to media monitoring in the next three years. These figures are nominal, not yet part of formal budgets and therefore subject to change.
	
		
			  RDA allocated expenditure on media monitoring 
			  £000 
			  RDA  2009-10  2010-11  2011-12 
			 AWM 29 (1)- (1)- 
			 EEDA 9 9 9 
			 EMDA 19 19 19 
			 LDA 10 (2)- (2)- 
			 NWDA 25 25 25 
			 ONE 18 18 18 
			 SEEDA 28 28 28 
			 SWRDA 32 31 30 
			 YF 30 30 30 
			 (1) AWM are currently reviewing their future spend in all areas. (2) LDA has made no provisional allocation, as the contracts with media monitoring companies are due for renewal at the end of the 2009-10 financial year.

Regional Planning and Development

Bob Neill: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 28 April 2009,  Official Report, column 1276W, on regional planning and development, on what date the regional industrial development boards were established; how much funding his Department has allocated to each such brand for 2009-10; and what the remit and function of each such board is.

Patrick McFadden: The seven Regional Industrial Development Boards are non-statutory non- departmental public bodies. The first four Boards were established following the passage of the Industry Act 1972 and were the Northern Industrial Development Board, the North West Industrial Development Board, the Yorkshire and Humberside Industrial Development Board and the South West Industrial Development Board. The West Midlands Board was established in 1984 following that year's Regional Policy Review. The London and South East and East of England Boards were established following the 1993 Review of the Assisted Areas.
	When Corby became a development area in 1979, the Yorkshire and Humberside Development Board became a joint board with the East Midlands. The Northern Industrial Development Board became the North East Industrial Development Board in 1982 when Cumbria ceased to be part of the Department of Trade and Industry's northern region.
	None of the boards are allocated budgets as none entail public expenditure apart from the remuneration of travel and subsistence costs of members.
	The role of the boards is to advise the regional development agencies on individual company applications for regional assistance between £250,000 and £1.99 million, except the East of England Board, which advises on applications between £100,000 and £1.99 million.
	During 2008-09 we conducted a review of the boards in consultation with the Cabinet Office to ensure that their governance arrangements remained relevant in view of the significant changes to the way in which support for business in the regions is handled since they were established, particularly the creation of regional development agencies and the delegation to them of responsibility of operating business support schemes previously undertaken by the Government office network. This review concluded that the appropriate way forward would be to replace the boards with advisory investment panels, to be appointed and supported entirely by the regional development agencies. It is expected that the agencies will appoint new advisory panels to replace the boards over the course of 2009-10.

Research: Finance

James Paice: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the level of expenditure by his Department and its predecessors on grants for research and development in each region in each of the last three years; and what his Department's budget for such expenditure is for (i) 2009-10 and (ii) 2010-11.

Kevin Brennan: Responsibility for delivering Grant for Research and Development is devolved to the Regional Development Agencies. RDA expenditure on Grant for Research and Development in years 2006-07 to 2008-09 is shown in the following table, together with the budgets for 2009-10 to 2010-11. LDA is reviewing its budget for the period 2009-10 and 20101-11. SWRDA has not yet set its budget for 2010-11.
	
		
			   Expenditure (£)  Budget(£) 
			  RDA  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11 
			 AWM 1,408,002 1,457,311 1,567,079 2,000,000 2,000,000 
			 EEDA 3,685,000 3,856,961 3,481,523 3,500,000 4,500,000 
			 EMDA 2,685,507 3,346,115 3,435,912 3,446,200 2,400,000 
			 LDA 2,154,962 2,461,348 1,750,660 359,586 100,663 
			 ONE 1,794,977 2,189,200 2,482,321 2,500,000 2,500,000 
			 NWDA 1,978,022 4,379,295 7,004,995 5,968,000 6,213,000 
			 SEEDA 4,135,453 3,094,255 2,624,547 3,500,000 3,500,000 
			 SWRDA 1,236,246 886,422 1,177,647 1,500,000 n/a 
			 YF 2,808,454 1,091,559 2,573,119 3,200,000 3,750,000

Royal Mail: Stoke-on-Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if the Secretary of State will have discussions with regeneration partners in Stoke-on-Trent on  (a) the job losses and  (b) undertakings given to retain Royal Mail jobs in Stoke-on-Trent arising from the transfer of sorting operations to Wolverhampton; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Under reforms put in place by the Postal Services Act 2000, Royal Mail management was given greater commercial freedom to run the company without interference from Government. Both management and the unions wanted the Government to introduce these changes. Decisions about the movement of sorting operations and retention of such operations in specific areas are, therefore, a matter for Royal Mail management. Royal Mail is seeking to rationalise its mail centre network to improve its efficiency in a market where volumes of mail have been falling at unprecedented levels.

Skilled Workers: Construction

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department takes to monitor the extent to which the standards needed to obtain a construction skills register card are met by glassworkers working on building sites.

Kevin Brennan: The Department does not monitor the operation of the Construction Skills Certificate Scheme (CSCS), or the extent to which the standards needed to obtain scheme cards are met by glassworkers, or other workers. CSCS is not a Government scheme, although its role in driving improvement in health and safety performance, and competence in the construction industry, is welcome. It is owned and managed by the construction industry and unions.

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps the Government are taking to assist small businesses to overcome short-term cashflow problems.

Kevin Brennan: holding answer 30 March 2009
	The Government have and continues to take steps to assist small businesses to access the finance they need to overcome short-term cash-flow problems by:
	securing £27 billion lending commitments from Lloyds and RBS for additional lending to businesses this year;
	HMRC Time to Pay-since last November businesses experiencing cash flow difficulties can get help from the HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) Business Support Service. So far more there have been more than 184,000 agreements with businesses to spread more than £3.2 billion in businesses taxes
	Introducing the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) to enable banks to lend to businesses that would otherwise not secure a loan. The EFG to date has received over £680 million of eligible applications from 6,027 businesses which have either been granted, being processed or assessed.
	Central Government Departments committing to paying all invoices to small businesses within 10-days.
	Identifying and promoting business payment exemplars through the prompt payment code.

Small Businesses: Government Assistance

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what support his Department has offered to small businesses in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) nationwide during the economic downturn.

Kevin Brennan: The new package of support to address the cash flow, credit and capital needs of businesses across the UK, announced by my noble Friend the Secretary of Sate on 14 January under the Real Help campaign, provides:
	£1 billion of guarantees supporting £1.3 billion of lending to smaller businesses through the Enterprise Finance Guarantee scheme;
	Up to £10 billion of guarantees through the Working Capital scheme that will secure new and existing credit lines worth up to £20 billion-and free up new capital for lending; and
	A £75 million capital (£50 million from HMG and £25 million from banks) fund to invest in businesses that need equity or quasi equity.
	As of 12 August the number and value of EFG loans was as follows:
	
		
			  Area  Number of loans offered  Value of loans offered (£ million) 
			 Jarrow 3 0.13 
			 South Tyneside 9 0.27 
			 North East 163 15.90 
		
	
	The Department records information on the Capital for Enterprise Fund on a regional basis. As of 12 August in the North East there was one enquiry under consideration.
	Through One North East, the GBI scheme provided £17 million of funding to businesses, including SMEs, in the financial year ending 31 March. The Regional Enterprise Loan Fund has provided over £860,000 to SMEs in the last year, and the Transitional Loan Fund provided £9.9 million of funding to otherwise viable SMEs facing cash flow issues in the financial year ending 31 March.

South West Regional Development Agency: Finance

Daniel Rogerson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding for each local authority in the South West region his Department has channelled through the South West Regional Development Agency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 6 July 2009
	 The RDAs are financed through a single budget, a fund which pools money from all the contributing Government Departments (BIS, CLG, DECC, DEFRA, DCMS and UKTI). Funds are allocated to individual RDAs from this single budget and spent according to priorities established by each agency. None of the funds in the single budget is hypothecated-therefore funds are not 'channelled' through the RDAs towards any spending programme.
	However, the table sets out a spatial breakdown of anticipated South West RDA single budget capital and revenue project expenditure directly on and in South West areas and sub-regions for 2009-11.
	
		
			  Area/sub-region  Total 2009/11 (£ million) 
			 West of England (Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset, and Bath and North East Somerset) 35.5 
			 Devon, Plymouth, Torbay and Exeter 35.2 
			 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 56.2 
			 Dorset, Bournemouth and Poole 7.8 
			 Gloucestershire 15.9 
			 Somerset 5.9 
			 Wiltshire and Swindon 6.7 
			 Region-wide programmes 98.5

Students: Fees and Charges

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many learners at further education colleges paid  (a) no fees,  (b) partial fees and  (c) full fees in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people studying at further education level are entitled to partial or complete remission of fees in respect of  (a) age,  (b) previous skills levels,  (c) status as a benefit or tax credit claimant and  (d) employment status.

Patrick McFadden: Full funding is provided in respect of certain categories of learning and learners in line with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funding guidance at:
	www.lsc.gov.uk
	This includes: learners aged 16-18, adults undertaking Skills for Life literacy or numeracy qualifications, first full level 2, and first full level 3 (where the learner is aged 19-25) qualifications. Learners in receipt of income-related benefits are also eligible for full fee remission. For adult learners, where full fee remission does not apply, the amount of public funding provided assumes a contribution towards the cost of the course from the learner or employer. In 2009-10, the assumed fee contribution will be 47.5 per cent., with the Government contributing the remaining 52.5 per cent.
	The post-16 Education and Skills Statistical First Release (SFR) (June 2009) shows that 2,464,100 learners participated in LSC funded further education provision in the 2007-08 academic year (this excludes Train to Gain and Apprenticeships). It is not possible to distinguish between learners who received full and partial LSC funding in all cases, for example where an FE college or provider waives fees and they do not record whether this is the full or partial amount of fee owed. It is therefore not possible to provide a full breakdown in this way.
	It is possible to identify the number of learning aims studied in 2007-08 where full fee remission has been provided in line with Government fee policy. This is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Fee remission in respect of:  Number of aims 
			 Previous skill level (skills for life, level 2 and level 3 entitlement) 526,500 
			 As a benefit or tax credit claimant 337,200 
			 Of which in receipt of Job Seeker's allowance 79,500 
			 Total 863,700 
			  Notes: Information is based on further education, adult and community learning and university for industry data-information is not available for work-based learning (WBL) data. Learners with aims in more than one category will be counted once for every category in which they appear. However, where learners are eligible for more than one reason for a single aim, they will be recorded against only one category. Therefore, the total provided may not represent all of the people who are eligible for a particular category.  Source:  Individualised Learner Record, 2007-08. 
		
	
	Information on learners who pay the full fee amount themselves is not available.

Students: Finance

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the Higher Education Funding Council for England on the implications for its policy on levels of assistance for part-time students in 2009-10 and 2010-11 of an increase in the number of Universities and Colleges Admissions Service applications.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 13 July 2009
	 The Department has had no discussions with the Funding Council on this subject. It is for higher education institutions to decide the mix of provision they want to provide within the teaching grant allocated.

Students: Grants

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students were receiving maintenance grants in  (a) the City of Southampton and  (b) Hampshire County Council local education authority area in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average grant received by such students was in that period.

Patrick McFadden: The information is found in the table.
	
		
			  Students awarded grants( 1)  academic year 2008/09 (provisional)( 2) 
			  Local authority  Number of students awarded grants  Average (£) 
			 Southampton 1,560 2,380 
			 Hampshire 8,660 2,060 
			 (1) Figures cover the Higher Education Grant, the Maintenance Grant and grants and allowances for children and dependents. Each of these grant types has a different maximum entitlement amount. (2) Data at mid-November 2008. Figures may change as later applications are processed.  Source: Student Loans Company

Students: Loans

David Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of people with student loans have paid back the full amount within the first two years of leaving higher education since loans were introduced.

David Lammy: Income Contingent Loan borrowers become liable to repay their student loan in the April after leaving their course. This is known as the statutory repayment due date (SRDD). Borrowers will normally only start making repayment once their income is above the £15,000 threshold and they repay 9 per cent. of their income over the threshold level.
	It is not possible to calculate precisely how many borrowers have paid back the full amount within the first two years of leaving higher education. However, as at 31 March 2009, Student Loan Company (SLC) figures show that 2.4 per cent. of ICR borrowers had repaid in full before their SRDD. A further 2.5 per cent. had repaid their loan within two years of their SRDD which may be almost three years after students have left their courses.
	Providing the information for those with mortgage-style loans (MS) is not possible. In 1998, when the SLC migrated these data, only the number of borrowers who had fully repaid was recorded, not the number of financial transactions which would enable us to accurately calculate the percentage who had repaid within two years.

Students: Loans

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how many people in each age group had not repaid their student loans in the  (a) City of Southampton and  (b) non-metropolitan County of Hampshire area on the latest date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people in each age group had begun repayments of student loans in the  (a) City of Southampton and  (b) non-metropolitan County of Hampshire area on the latest date for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: The information requested is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Income-Contingent loan borrowers, March 2009( 1) 
			   Numbers who have not yet made a repayment  Numbers who have made a repayment  Total 
			  Southampton( 2)
			 Age(3)
			 Less than 20 0 0 0 
			 20 to 24 340 500 840 
			 25 to 29 360 1,470 1,830 
			 30 to 39 180 440 620 
			 40 to 49 70 130 200 
			 50 and over 30 30 70 
			 Total 980 2,570 3,560 
			  Hampshire( 2)
			 Age(3)
			 Less than 20 30 20 40 
			 20 to 24 2,570 5,290 7,870 
			 25 to 29 2,220 13,830 16,050 
			 30 to 39 600 1,490 2,090 
			 40 to 49 370 770 1,140 
			 50 and over 180 240 420 
			 Total 5,980 21,640 27,610 
			 (1) Table covers income-contingent loan borrowers liable to repay with known repayment or non-repayment status. (2) Local authority where the borrower was resident at the time of application for student finance. This does not indicate current residence. (3) Age at the end of the last tax year for which repayment/non-repayment information has been posted, mainly end of tax year 2007-08.  Source:  Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Borrowers become liable to repay their loans in the April after they leave their course. Repayments are at the rate of 9 per cent. of earnings above the £15,000 threshold. Those earning less than the threshold are not liable to repay. Those not yet repaying may include borrowers who have gone on to further study or are doing voluntary work.

Students: Loans

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been deducted from the salaries of individuals in each income group for student loan repayments in the  (a) City of Southampton and  (b) non-metropolitan County of Hampshire area in the last 12 months.

Patrick McFadden: The information is available in the following table.
	
		
			  Student Loans PAYE Deductions Tax Year 2007-08( 1, 3) 
			   Numbers who have had a deduction from earnings under PAYE  Amount deducted from earnings under PAYE  Average amount deducted 
			  Southampton( 2)
			 Less than £15,000 550 60,000 110 
			 £15-20,000 560 150,000 270 
			 £20-25,000 470 320,000 670 
			 £25-30,000 300 310,000 1,050 
			 £30-35,000 140 200,000 1,490 
			 £35-40,000 80 140,000 1,880 
			 Over £40,000 90 230,000 2,690 
			 Total 2,190 1,420,000 650 
			  Hampshire( 2)
			 Less than £15,000 4,040 470,000 120 
			 £15-20,000 4,160 1,190,000 290 
			 £20-25,000 4,330 2,930,000 680 
			 £25-30,000 2,880 3,060,000 1,060 
			 £30-35,000 1,350 1,990,000 1,480 
			 £35-40,000 710 1,330,000 1,870 
			 Over £40,000 1,040 3,100,000 2,990 
			 Total 18,500 14,070,000 760 
			 (1) Tables cover deductions by PA YE from income-contingent loans. Excludes Self Assessment deductions. Tables cover deductions which HMRC has notified to SLC by 31 March 2009. There will be further deductions notified for tax year 2007-08. (2) Local authority where the borrower was resident at the time of application for student finance. This does not indicate current residence. (3) Note that earnings in the tax year is not the same as annual salary. A borrower who starts work late in the tax year on an annual salary above £15,000 will have deductions made but may have earnings during the tax year of less than £15,000.  Source:  Student Loans Company 
		
	
	Borrowers become liable to repay their loans in the April after they leave their course. Repayments are at the rate of 9 per cent. of earnings above the £15,000 threshold.

Take It To The World

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the budget for marketing, public relations, communications and advertising is of UK Trade and Investment's Take It To The World publicity campaign in 2009-10.

Patrick McFadden: UK Trade and Investment's June 2009 'Take it to the World' programme was aimed at both new and existing exporters, promoting the benefits of international trade and reaffirming the role of UK Trade and Investment as the organisation that can help make it happen. This is in line with the recommendation in the National Audit Office's recent value for money report.
	The budget for the programme in 2009-10 was £430,000 (0.13 per cent. of UK Trade and Investment's total budget).
	For the month of June alone this has helped achieve an additional 25,000 more visits to UK Trade and Investment's website when compared with the same month in the previous year.

Trade Unions: Consumers

Nick Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009,  Official Report, column 914W, on trade unions: legal opinion, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that consumer protection rights apply to the sale and supply of goods and services by trade unions to their members.

Patrick McFadden: Consumer protection legislation usually applies in the area of the supply of goods and services by businesses to consumers. Where the supply of goods and service by trade unions falls within this area consumer protection provisions will apply.

UK High Technology Fund

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much  (a) public and  (b) private sector funding has been provided for the UK High Technology Fund; what the cost of management fees related to the fund has been; and how many companies have received funding from the fund in each year since its formation.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 16 July 2009
	 £20 million of public and £106.1 million of private funding has been provided for the UK High Technology Fund (UKHTF).
	Fund manager fees of £2,992,017 to 31 December 2008 were made against the total size of the fund of £126.1 million and relate to the fees of the fund of funds manager and the nine underlying funds where the UKHTF was committed.
	245 companies have received investment through the UKHTF between 2001 and 2008 as follows:
	
		
			   Companies 
			 2001 81 
			 2002 29 
			 2003 48 
			 2004 38 
			 2005 30 
			 2006 15 
			 2007 2 
			 2008 2

UK Human Tissue Bank

Jo Swinson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will provide support for the creation of a replacement for De Montfort University's UK Human Tissue Bank after its closure in September 2009.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 20 July 2009
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research.
	The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health, including the establishment of tissue banks, and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. However, it should be noted that the MRC provides funding for research applications submitted by the scientific community in 'response mode', and does not normally commission research to address specific questions.
	The MRC currently supports a number of tissue banks where there is a demonstrable need to provide an infrastructure to supply high quality and ethically-sourced material to support scientific investigation.

UK Innovation Fund

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the £100 million funding his Department plans for the UK Innovation Fund is part of the £750 million Strategic Investment Fund allocated in Budget 2009.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 9 July 2009
	 The Department is investing £75 million from the Strategic Investment Fund into the UK Innovation Investment Fund. The remaining £25 million will be found from other budgets within the Department.

UK Innovation Fund

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many companies he expects to receive funding from the UK Innovation Fund in its first year of operation; and how much in private sector contributions he expects the fund to receive in that year.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 9 July 2009
	The UK Innovation Investment Fund will operate on a Fund of Funds basis which means that it will not invest directly into companies, but will invest in a number of specialist technology funds. At this stage, it is not possible to make any predictions about the number of companies UKIIF will invest in during its first year of operation.
	The Government expects that its investment of £150 million will be at least matched by private sector investors during the first year.

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

Charles Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will set a reserve price for the sale of a majority stake in the UK Atomic Energy Authority Ltd.

Patrick McFadden: This information is commercially sensitive during a live sale process.

Video Games: Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  how much financial support was given by regional development agencies to the video games industry in 2007-08;
	(2)  how much funding was provided by regional development agencies to the video games industry in 2007-08.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows RDA funding to the video games industry in 2007-08.
	
		
			  RDA  RDA funding to the video games sector in 2007-08 (£000) 
			 AWM (1)0 
			 EEDA 62 
			 EMDA 164 
			 LDA 121 
			 NWDA 166 
			 ONE 471 
			 SEEDA (2)0 
			 SWERDA (2)0 
			 YF 99 
			 (1) AWM does not directly support the 'video games' industry but has provided £800,000 in support to the development of the 'Serious Games' sector in the region. 'Serious Games' is the use of games technology for serious commercial purposes, allowing users to learn a new skill, rehearse a potentially dangerous/costly procedure, or explore a new process or design. (2) SEEDA and SWERDA have no programmes that specifically fund the video games sector. To identify the funding that has been provided from broader programmes would incur disproportionate cost.

Wage Compensation Scheme

David Drew: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions the Secretary of State has had with trade unions on introducing a wage compensation scheme for those on short-time working.

Patrick McFadden: Earlier this year, my noble Friend the Secretary of State responded to the joint letter from the Trade Union Congress and the Federation of Small Businesses which called for the introduction of short-time working subsidies. In his response to Brendan Barber (TUC, General Secretary) my noble Friend the Secretary of State set out the Government's position on why wage subsidies are not a feasible, cost effective or sustainable option for the UK.

Work Experience

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what provision is made to enable students to undertake work experience in his Department; by what means members of the public may obtain information about work experience in his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: Prior to the creation of BIS on 5 June 2009, the former Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills had commenced a pilot work experience programme. Included in the pilot were students from a school local to one of the former DIUS London buildings. This programme continued following the merger of DIUS with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The new Department (BIS) had eight work experience students over a period of two weeks in July 2009, of whom six took part in the pilot programme of activities.
	The availability of work experience opportunities was not advertised. The evaluation of the pilot will determine the approach to work experience taken by the Department in 2010.
	Former BERR has participated for a number of years in the Summer Development Programme and the Summer Placement Scheme. Both come under the auspices of the Cabinet Office's Diversity Programme Internships. The two internships are for students from ethnic minority backgrounds and the registered disabled. Both schemes provide a paid six to nine week full-time placement to gain a more thorough understanding of the work of the civil service. The work experience opportunities for each of the schemes are not advertised and are evaluated by the Cabinet Office.

Working Hours: Ministers

John Redwood: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills whether Ministers who sit in the House are required to reckon the hours worked in pursuit of their Ministerial duties together with hours worked as an hon. Member for the purposes of keeping records to comply with the requirements of the EU Working Time Directive.

Patrick McFadden: The regulations implementing the Working Time Directive in the UK apply to workers. A worker is someone who works under a contract of employment or a contract to perform personally any work or services for another party whose status is not that of a client or customer. Holders of political and elected office are not regarded as workers and are therefore not covered by the regulations.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2009,  Official Report, columns 353-54W on business: Government assistance, what estimate his Department made of the cost of providing an answer to the remainder of the Question; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: In considering whether it might be possible to answer the other parts of the hon. Member's question, account was taken of the ministerial written statement on 8 December 2008,  Official Report, column 24WS, made by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for Wallasey (Angela Eagle), in which she informed the House that the disproportionate cost threshold increased to £750 with effect from 3 December 2008.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 261386, tabled on 3 March 2009, on the Working Capital scheme.

Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 23 June 2009,  Official Report, column reference 880W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 270234, on support for small businesses, tabled on 21 April 2009.

Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 1744-45W.

Written Questions: Government Responses

Mike Hancock: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 260532, tabled on 24 February 2009, on learning disabilities; and what the reasons are for the time taken to reply.

Patrick McFadden: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 July 2009,  Official Report, column 1751W. The delay in publishing this response was as a result of an administrative error.